PHILIPSBURG--The departure of recently appointed chief financial officer (CFO) of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), Gerben Stavast, is still “unofficial”, said Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs at the live Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday.
It had been reported in the beginning of February that Stavast, appointed a month prior, was leaving the airport due to family reasons. Jacobs said she has not been informed of his departure in writing.
Stavast’s appointment was no small matter, as the appointment of a CFO was one of the conditions required for the airport to receive approximately US $62.7 million of reconstruction funding that is being withheld by the bondholders.
When asked by reporters whether the appointment of a CFO was still tied to the funding being held in escrow by the bondholders, Jacobs said, “Before coming in [to government last year – Ed.], we were made to understand that once these [funding] agreements are signed by government, it’s a go.
“But as we can see, there are several other smaller conditions that are just as important … we are still trying to facilitate and expedite [the process] that it happens as quickly as possible. So, we will go into negotiations once again.”
