WILLEMSTAD – Minister of Governance, Planning and Public Service Shalten Hato says the Curaçao government is committed to strengthening the execution of court rulings involving civil servants, describing respect for judicial decisions as a cornerstone of the country's democratic rule of law.
Responding to the Ombudsman's recent report on delays in implementing final judgments by the civil service court, Hato acknowledged that improvements require close cooperation among all government ministries.
"A government that takes the rule of law seriously must implement court rulings," Hato said in a statement. "At the same time, this requires strong cooperation between ministries, clear responsibilities and effective work processes."
The minister noted that the government has already been working on reforms aimed at improving the speed, consistency and quality of handling civil service cases. He said the Ombudsman's findings provide valuable guidance for further professionalizing the public sector.
The Ministry of Governance, Planning and Public Service said it will continue working with other ministries to strengthen monitoring and coordination while completing a comprehensive inventory of outstanding court decisions that still require execution.
According to the ministry, the objective is not only to improve compliance with judicial rulings but also to reinforce the legal rights of civil servants and restore public confidence in government institutions.
The Ombudsman's report recommended several structural reforms, including centralized monitoring of court judgments, stronger legal capacity across government, clearer assignment of responsibilities and more uniform procedures for handling civil service cases.
The ministry said any additional measures deemed necessary after reviewing the report will be developed in consultation with the relevant ministries as part of a broader effort to improve government performance and accountability.