Retired CCJ judge dies less than a week after retirement

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Tuesday confirmed the death of Justice Jacob Wit, who last week retired from the region's final court due to ill health.

In a statement, the CCJ said that Justice Wit, 71,  was a member of the inaugural CCJ bench in 2005 “and he diligently served until his retirement in December 2023.

“This native of the Netherlands was an eminent jurist with wide legal expertise in private law, commercial and admiralty law, insurance, bankruptcy and insolvency, company law and intellectual property, criminal law, military law, administrative law, constitutional law, and international human rights law,” the CCJ said.

Prior to joining the CCJ, he adjudicated over cases in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, and the Dutch Windward Islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

“It is a sad day for the Court. Justice Wit and I worked together since 2005 when we formed part of the inaugural Bench of the Court. He was the lone Civil Law Judge on the current CCJ Bench with rich experience in military law, administrative law, constitutional law, and international human rights law.

“His involvement with the CCJ Academy for Law and his role in coordinating the Academy's most recent Biennial Conference and Regional Town Hall focusing on crime, paired with his passion for regional criminal justice reform are recognised and deeply appreciated. I will certainly miss him and his contributions to the Court and to the region,” said CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders.

The CCJ described Justice Wit as “a polyglot, with fluency in several languages and will be remembered for his wit inside and outside of the courtroom”.

He also served as a Ranking Member of the CCJ Academy for Law and was the President of the Constitutional Court of Saint Maarten, a part time role. Recently, Justice Wit was the 2020 recipient of the Nederlandse Juristen Vereniging Award because of his long and effective contributions to forging and maintaining public trust in the judiciary in a turbulent environment.

The CCJ said Justice Wit was also fondly regarded and highly respected by his peers on the Bench, the Court, and the entire region.

“His judgments and rich contribution to the work of the CCJ Academy for Law, will endure. The Court will conduct a special sitting and open a condolence book to recognise the Judge's contribution. Our sincerest condolences are extended to his family,” the  CCJ added.

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