Judge Van de Ven to return to the Netherlands

The Daily Herald writes that Koos van de Ven will be laying down his duties as a criminal judge at the Court of First Instance, as per October 1. Van de Ven will be returning to the Netherlands to resume his position as a judge at the Court of Amsterdam, the Joint Court of Justice stated Friday.
Van de Ven started his job in St. Maarten on August 1, 2013, on a three-year contract. The Court regretted Van de Ven’s departure, the Joint Court said in a brief statement. The Joint Court said it respected Van de Ven’s choice and wished him much success with his future career in the Netherlands. It was not stated why Van de Ven had decided to return to the Netherlands after only a year. As of October 1, Van de Ven’s duties as a criminal judge will be temporarily taken over by Judge Rick Smid, for a three-month period.
Smid is well-known on St. Maarten and has worked previously at the Court of First Instance for longer periods of time. He presided over the trials in 2012 in the so-called Vesuvius case. The selection procedure for the appointment of a new judge as per January 1, 2015, has already started, the Court stated.