On October 30, the Suriname Court of Justice formally announced its final appellate ruling in the high-profile dispute surrounding the leadership of the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS), the national telecommunications regulatory body, confirming that former director Wendy Jap-A-Joe’s tenure came to an automatic legal end on October 19, with no formal dismissal resolution required to terminate her post. The ruling fully affirmed the lower canton court’s October 26 verdict, rejecting every appeal submitted by Jap-A-Joe across two linked summary legal cases. A core point of contention in the proceedings centered on the open-ended employment contract Jap-A-Joe signed with then TAS supervisory board chair Harish Monorath on November 1, 2021. The court determined this contract directly conflicts with Suriname’s Telecommunications Facilities Act, which explicitly mandates a fixed five-year term for TAS directors, a clause that was also explicitly referenced in Jap-A-Joe’s original official appointment document. Judges further found that the mandatory legal process for approving TAS director employment terms was never followed: the authority to set such conditions is exclusively reserved for the relevant government minister, who is required to consult the TAS supervisory board and secure formal sign-off from the Council of Ministers, a step that was completely omitted when the 2021 open-ended contract was signed. Jap-A-Joe’s argument that the open-ended contract was designed to prevent a leadership vacuum after her five-year term expired was dismissed by the court as unsubstantiated. The appellate panel also rejected Jap-A-Joe’s claim that her post could not be terminated without a formal dismissal resolution, noting that the five-year term outlined in national law means her position expired automatically by operation of law on October 19, eliminating any need for separate dismissal paperwork. Additional appeals, including her challenge to the October 16 work transfer notice issued by the TAS supervisory board, her request to revert to her prior deputy director role after her director tenure ended, and her petition to block TAS from restricting her access to agency premises, were all unanimously rejected. The court confirmed that the lower court’s interim restraining orders remain fully enforceable: Jap-A-Joe is prohibited from acting in any official capacity on behalf of TAS, barred from entering the agency’s office premises, and required to surrender all TAS property including case files, financial records, digital data, official vehicles, keys and other corporate assets within 24 hours of the original lower court ruling. She has also been ordered to pay a total of SRD 18,000 in combined legal costs for the two linked cases. Representing the state and TAS, attorney Gerold Sewcharan emphasized that the court had carefully reviewed all seven separate grievances submitted by Jap-A-Joe, describing the verdict as thoroughly deliberated and fully enforceable. He noted that the TAS supervisory board is now legally authorized to oversee the agency’s operations in the vacant director role, and may request law enforcement assistance if Jap-A-Joe fails to comply with the property handover and access ban requirements. The court clarified that the current ruling applies only to the summary injunction proceedings, and a separate full civil trial will later issue a final ruling on the legal validity of the disputed 2021 open-ended employment contract.
Hof: Benoeming Jap-A-Joe bij TAS eindigde op 19 oktober, geen ontslagresolutie nodig
