Aruba yields: Court remains on Curaçao

July 21, 2009 9:18 AM

ORANJESTAD — The Aruban government agrees that the Joint Court of Justice will remain on Curaçao after the dismantlement of the Netherlands Antilles. On official level, the Netherlands, the Antilles, and Aruba came up with a new proposal. Against this, the Dutch and Antillean government -contrary to Aruba- have not formally said yes though.

In a letter to the Dutch Premier Jan Peter Balkenende, Aruba declared that -as far as they are concerned- the Court could remain on Curaçao for the next five years. After those five years, it should be evaluated, whether parts of the organization, for example the chamber for civil cases or governmental cases, could move to other islands for ‘a more fair division’.
The clerks of the islands will be combined in one organization, but the clerks of the Courts of First Instance will formally remain under the responsibility of the vice-presidents of the Court on the various islands.
In addition, a Kingdom committee will be set up, which should investigate whether after five years, a Kingdom-wide regulation is feasible for the judiciary. The committee must also investigate if the legal position of the judges and members of the Public Prosecutor can be arranged Kingdom-wide. Aruba is namely a specific supporter of these regulations.

Supposing the Netherlands and the Antilles will also agree with this proposal, this means that the National Law Court, which the National Council of Ministers approved and forwarded to the Lower Chamber, last Friday, will be adjusted. The controversial article 43 from the Statute, which was used to implement the national law without the support of Aruba and the Antilles, will then be deleted.

(Source: National Newspaper Amigoe)

July 10, 2009