The Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Cu­racao, St. Maarten and of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba opened Saba’s court­house in an official ceremo­ny on Thursday. The build­ing is located in Windward-side next to Saba Tourism Bureau’s office.

The ceremony was at­tended by Saba Governor Jonathan Johnson, Dutch Supreme Court President Dineke de Groot, Joint Court of Justice President Mauritsz de Kort, Nation­al Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, St. Maarten courthouse manager Richelda Emmanuel and members of Saba’s Execu­tive and Island Councils.

With Saba’s new court­house, all six islands in the Dutch Caribbean have their own court. St. Eusta­tius opened it courthouse last month, the fifth under the jurisdiction of the Joint Court of Justice.

Before Thursday’s open­ing, court hearings in Saba were heard in the Island Council meeting hall in the Government Administra­tion Building in The Bot­tom.

De Kort, who has been instrumental in the open­ing of both St. Eustatius’ and Saba’s courthouses, said that the first case at Saba’s new location had been heard in the week of November 20, even though the courthouse had not yet been officially opened.

He also said that the day before Saba Day was spe­cifically chosen for the opening ceremony, as the courthouse is meant to be a “gift to the people of Saba.”

“The strong presence of the judiciary, even in the smallest of islands of the jurisdiction, holds great sig­nificance,” Dc Kort said.

Johnson emphasised the importance of accessibility to justice. “It is imperative that in­stitutions such as the court, and those who work in it, remain neutral and impar­tial,” he said, characterising the opening as a “milestone in the continuation of the development of the island.”

A court clerk will be pres­ent at Saba’s courthouse twice a week. More details about its official opening times are expected to be re­leased this week.

The Daily Herald.