Former CCJ Justice Jacob Wit passes away at 91

Justice Jacob Wit died at the age of 71 on Tuesday, 16th January 2024. It is to be noted he was a former judge in the Caribbean Court of Justice, which is located in Trinidad and Tobago.

Justice Wit was suffering from serious medical issues, due to which he also had to take retirement from the Caribbean Court of Justice. Just a few weeks ago, he announced his retirement from the region’s final Court on the grounds of ill health.

He was born in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. He graduated with a Master of Laws degree with honours in 1977 from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, before joining the Royal Dutch Navy.

While extending tribute to Justice Jacob Wit, the Caribbean Court of Justice shed light on Jacob Wit’s career. CCJ stated that “he was an inaugural member of the CCJ bench in 2005, and he actively participated in all the work and diligently served his duties until the announcement of his retirement in December 2023.”

The Court added, “he was an esteemed judge in private law, insurance, bankruptcy and insolvency, company law and intellectual property, constitutional law, commercial and admiralty law, criminal law, military law, administrative law and international human rights law.”

Alongside being the judge in the Caribbean Court of Justice, he has also rendered his services as the Ranking Member of the CCJ Academy for Law. He was also a President of the Constitutional Court of Saint Maarten on a part-time basis.

Moreover, before joining the Caribbean Court of Justice, Jacob Wit was deeply ingrained in the regional legal landscape in a professional capacity. Justice Wit has served as the judge on various cases in Curacao, Dutch Windward, Netherland Antilles, Sint Eustatius, Islands of Sint Maarten and Saba.

Justice Adrian Saunders, the President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, while extending his condolences, stated that “it’s a sad day for the Court as Justice Jacob Wit was the lone civil law judge with varied and strong experience in various laws. The laws include international human rights law, military law, constitutional law and administrative law.”

It must be mentioned that Justice Wit and Justice Adrian Saunders have worked together since the inauguration of the Bench of Court in 2005.

Shedding light on the achievements of Justice Jacob Wit, he was awarded the Nederlandse Juristen Vereniging Award in 2020 for his dedication towards his work and for maintaining and enhancing the trust of the public in the judicial system.