On Friday, November 17, 2023, the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba officially opened its fifth courthouse, this one on the island of Sint Eustatius.
President of the Joint Court of Justice, Mr. De Kort: ‘It has been a long-cherished wish of mine,
as well as of my fellow board members of the Court, to open an own courthouse in Sint Eustatius. Until recently, hearings were held in the hall where island council meetings were held at the Guesthouse of Sint Eustatius. Over the past years, requests have come to me from the local government and the population of Sint Eustatius to have a greater presence on the smaller islands. In good cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Justice & Security, as well as the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, I am delighted that today we are opening the doors to our own branch of the Court in Sint Eustatius. This also gives us our own front desk, and we can provide the residents of Statia with better access to the judiciary.’
The building located at Kerkweg 4 was built in 1795 and has a rich history. The legal proceedings will now take place in this historic building, and the registry will not only be available when the judge fly over from Sint Maarten. To start, a registry staff member will also be present twice a week to provide the public with information and to receive documents.
Information about opening hours will follow.
Prior to the official opening on November 17, 2023, the Court was honored with visits from the
Governor of Sint Maarten, Mr. Baly, the Commissioner of the King of Friesland, Drs. Brok, members of parliament of Sint Maarten , and the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, Mrs. drs. Van Huffelen. Additionally, a first court case took place in the morning.
