New President of the Joint Court of Justice Sworn In

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Sigmar Carmelia was sworn in as President of the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

He took the oath in front of the Governor of Curaçao, His Excellency mr. Mauritsz de Kort. The swearing-in marks a special moment, because the current Governor of Curaçao, Mauritsz de Kort, as former president of the Court, has sworn in his successor in this position.

With the appointment of mr. Carmelia, the Court will have a president who was born and raised in Curaçao, in the districts of Steenrijk and Brievengat. After graduating from high school at Radulphus College, he began his law studies at the University of the Netherlands Antilles, which he continued at Radboud University in Nijmegen.

After graduating, mr. Carmelia as a lawyer at the Equal Treatment Commission in Utrecht. In 2004 he returned to Curaçao, where he worked as a lawyer in the practice of Mr. Ornelio "Kid" Martina. During this period, he gained extensive experience in the courtroom, which formed the basis for his further career within the judiciary.

In 2012, he started his training as a judge, which he successfully completed in 2014. He did his final internship at the Gelderland District Court, location Arnhem. In 2015, he was appointed to the Court.

Since then, he has been active in the various sectors of the Common Court. In addition, he has functioned as a press judge, among other things. With his broad experience within both the legal profession and the judiciary, mr. Carmelia will bring expertise and commitment to his new role as president.