Paramaribo, 30 October – In the long-running legal battle surrounding the Telecommunications Authority Suriname (TAS), former senior official Wendy Jap-A-Joe has secured no favorable ruling for the fourth consecutive time, as the High Court of Justice formally upheld the lower district court’s original verdict with expanded, detailed legal justifications. The three-judge appellate panel, presided over by lead justice Sieglien Wijnhard and supported by justices Alida Johanns and Jane Jensen, delivered the ruling earlier today, dismissing all grounds of Jap-A-Joe’s appeal against the district court’s earlier judgment that had rejected every one of her claims related to her contested position at the national telecom regulator. The original district court order, which remains fully enforceable following the appellate ruling, prohibits Jap-A-Joe from conducting any official acts on behalf of TAS, requires her to vacate the authority’s office premises immediately, and mandates the full handover of all TAS-owned assets, documents and equipment to the governing body. As part of the final ruling, Jap-A-Joe has been ordered to cover all legal costs incurred by two opposing parties in the case: the State of Suriname and TAS’s Supervisory Board (Raad van Commissarissen, RvC), with each party’s costs fixed at SRD 9,000, bringing her total mandatory payment obligation to SRD 18,000. Prior to this latest appellate defeat, Jap-A-Joe had already faced three separate unfavorable rulings from the district court in the same prolonged employment and governance dispute. The High Court clarified that its decision to add supplementary legal grounds to the original lower court ruling reinforces the validity of the initial judgment, rather than altering any of its core terms. Local judicial observers note that this marks a definitive turning point in the years-long dispute that has disrupted operations at Suriname’s primary telecom oversight body, with additional case details expected to be released by court authorities in subsequent public statements.
Jap-A-Joe verliest ook hoger beroep: vierde rechterlijke uitspraak in haar nadeel
