CCJ mourns passing of “eminent jurist” Justice Wit

…judge greatly enriched administration of justice in region – Caricom

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is mourning the loss of one of its retired Judges, Justice Jacob Wit, a native of the Netherlands. The CCJ advised of his passing on Tuesday via a media release. He was 71.

He was a member of the inaugural CCJ Bench in 2005, and he diligently served until his retirement in December 2023. Justice Wit most recently presided over one of Guyana’s election petition cases and an itinerant session of the regional court conducted here in June 2023.
Justice Wit 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,” according to a statement released by the CCJ on Tuesday.
The CCJ remarked of Justice Wit, “[He] was a polyglot, with fluency in several languages, and will be remembered for his wit inside and outside of the courtroom. 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.”
CCJ President Justice Adrian Saunders commented, “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 134 criminal justice reform are recognised and deeply appreciated. I will certainly miss him and his contributions to the Court and the Region,” said Justice Anderson.
The statement said that Justice Wit was also fondly regarded and highly respected by his peers on the Bench, the Court, and the entire Region, and that his judgments and rich contribution to the work of the CCJ Academy for Law will endure.
The CCJ will convene a Special Sitting and open a condolence book to recognise the late Judge’s contribution. It has extended its sincerest condolences to his family.

“Legal eagle”
The Guyana Judiciary said in a statement on Wednesday that it was saddened to hear of Justice Wit’s passing, and that throughout his 18 years on the nation’s highest court, he had contributed significantly to the change of the Region’s legal system.
According to the Judiciary, his civil law background saw the delivery of many leading judgments, elucidating Guyana’s Roman-Dutch land law system.
“Justice Wit brought to the bench a particularly astute legal insight, grounded as he was in the civil law system. His Honour was engaged in many training initiatives of the CCJ Academy for Law and the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO),” the statement said.
The Judiciary said Justice Wit presented widely on many legal issues in the Caribbean, had a passion for criminal law, and was deeply committed to the reform of the criminal justice system.
The Judiciary remarked of Justice Wit, “He has left an indelible mark in the annals of Caribbean courts, particularly those territories for which the Caribbean Court of Justice is their apex court.” It added, “He was a legal eagle who worked tirelessly to protect the rights of individuals.”
“We acknowledge his sterling contribution to the jurisprudence of Guyana and the wider Caribbean. The Judiciary of Guyana has been honoured to have had Justice Wit preside in Guyana at two itinerant sittings of the CCJ.”
Justice Wit last presided here in June 2023, and during that time, he presented a well-received public lecture on criminal justice reform. Apart from his legal acumen, Justice Wit lived his name – with a warm, witty, engaging personality, the Judiciary noted, the statement noted.
“His passing is a deep loss which has left a void in the legal community. He will be dearly missed. The Judiciary of Guyana extends its deepest condolences to his widow, other family members and loved ones, the President, Judges, and staff of the Caribbean Court of Justice. May his cherished memory provide comfort, strength, and peace to all at this difficult time.”

Served with distinction, passion
In a statement on the passing of Justice Wit, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) said: “The Caribbean Community has learned, with deep sadness, of the passing of His Honour Justice Jacob Wit, esteemed Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Justice Wit served the Community and the wider legal profession in our Region with distinction and passion for 18 years, before retiring from the CCJ in December 2023.
“His breadth of knowledge and experience in military, constitutional, and international human rights law greatly enriched the administration of justice in the Region. The Community recognises his invaluable legacy of promoting best practices in Caribbean jurisprudence, particularly through his involvement with the CCJ Academy for Law.
“Caricom extends heartfelt condolences to his family, the legal fraternity, and all who mourn his loss. May his soul rest in peace.”

About Justice Wit
Justice Wit studied law from 1971 to 1977 at the Vrije Universiteit (Free University) of Amsterdam, from which he took the degree of Meester in de Rechten (Master of Laws) with honours.
After completing his military service (1976-1978) as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Navy, he was admitted in March 1978 as a Judicial Trainee at the Studiecentrum Rechtspleging (Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary) in Zutphen, the Netherlands, where he remained enrolled until 1984. During this period, he held the posts of Griffier (Law Clerk) in the Rotterdam District Court, Rotterdam, (1978-1980) and plaatsvervangend Officier van Justitie (Deputy Prosecutor) at the Amsterdam District Court (1980-1982) and worked as an advocaat (attorney-at-law) with the Law Firm of Van Doorne & Sjollema in Rotterdam (1982-1984).
Justice Wit was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands as Deputy Judge of the Rotterdam District Court in January 1984, Judge of the Rotterdam District Court in March 1985, and Judge of the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba on October 1, 1986. This Court consists of several Courts of First Instance (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the so-called BES islands) and a Court of Appeal.
Between 1986 and 2005, Justice Wit presided over or sat in the Court of Appeal, but mainly presided in the Courts of First Instance. Over this period, he had acquired significant expertise in various posts within the Joint Court of Justice system: Coordinating Judge, Court of First Instance, Curaçao (1993-1996); Coordinator Judge of Instruction, Netherlands Antilles (1994-1997); Coordinating Judge for the Dutch Windward Islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba (1997-2001); and from 2001 to 2005 as Senior Judge and Acting President of the Court.
He took the Oath of Office as a Judge of the CCJ at The President’s House, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on June 1, 2005. In November 2010, Justice Wit was appointed and sworn in as the President of the Constitutional Court of Sint Maarten, a part-time function. He also served as a Ranking Member of the CCJ Academy for Law, and was the lone Civil Law Judge on the CCJ Bench. (G1)