The application of the Agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Suriname regarding the mutual recognition and enforcement of legal judgments and authentic deeds in civil matters has been extended to Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. The parties involved have agreed on this on 14 July 2015 in Paramaribo. The agreement does not apply to the BES-islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba).
Pursuant to the agreement, authentic (such as notarial) deeds and verdicts from Suriname shall in principle be acknowledged in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, and vice versa. Normally, only an easily obtained judicial authorization is required to execute and enforce such verdicts or judgments.
The Surinamese legal system has been struggling with planning and backlogs for years. Legal proceedings, including summary proceedings, take a long time. The administration of justice on Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten is significantly faster. The extended agreement provides the opportunity for parties with professional interests in Suriname to settle disputes through, for example, the court in Curaçao. This is also possible with summary proceedings, even when Surinamese law is applicable. This may result in an increase of Surinamese legal proceedings on the three aforementioned islands.
The extension of the agreement is beneficial for the trade between Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands and creates opportunities to improve the investment climate in Suriname. It is not yet clear when the extension of the agreement will come into force.
