Mr. Sigmar Carmelia has officially taken office as president of the Joint Court of Justice (Hof), promising more opportunities for Caribbean legal professionals and justice that is accessible to citizens regardless of language or origin.
The 49-year-old Curaçaoan was installed Friday in Curaçao as the 26th president of the Court, which administers justice in Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. He succeeds Mauritsz de Kort, who is now Governor of Curaçao.
Caribbean talent in the judiciary
Carmelia was appointed by Royal Decree of May 4 and sworn in on May 12; his official installation took place during an extraordinary session of the Court. One of his priorities is giving legal professionals from the Caribbean islands more opportunity to develop and advance within the judicial organization.
He stressed this does not mean limiting the arrival of Dutch judges and other Dutch legal professionals, who remain welcome for their knowledge, experience and contribution to diversity. The relatively small judicial organization continuously needs new lawyers to guarantee quality and continuity across the six islands, according to the report.
Accessible justice
Carmelia also wants justice to be more accessible to citizens regardless of their language or origin, a goal he set out during the installation ceremony, 24ora reported on October 17.
Source: 24ora
