ORANJESTAD – On Friday, November 17, 2023, the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba officially opened its fifth branch on the island of Sint Eustatius.

President of the Joint Court of Justice, Mr. De Kort, spoke of a long-cherished wish. “It was a long-cherished wish of mine, as well as my fellow directors of the Court, to open a branch on Sint Eustatius. Until recently, court sessions were held in the room where the island council usually meets in the Guesthouse of Sint Eustatius. Over the years, there have been repeated requests from the local government and the population of Sint Eustatius for us to be more present 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 pleased that today we open the doors of our own branch of the Court on Sint Eustatius. With this, we also have our own counter and can provide better access to justice for the people of Statia.”

Rich history

The building located at Kerkweg 4 was built in 1795 and has a rich history. From now on, court cases will be heard in this historic building, and the Registry will be available not only when the Judge flies over from Sint Maarten. In the initial phase, a Registry employee will be present twice a week to provide the public with information and to receive documents.

On Friday morning, the first session already took place in the new location.