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The Haitian government, through the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), inaugurated Monday, December 22, 2025 two Courts of First Instance in Ouanaminthe and Limbé, bringing to twenty the total number of courts of this level at the national level. This initiative is part of the reform of the judiciary and aims to strengthen access to justice, institutional stability and the proximity of the state to the people of the North and North-East.
The ceremonies were attended by Councillors Smith Augustin and Emmanuel Vertilaire, judicial officials, magistrates, lawyers and representatives of local communities. The new infrastructure was presented as modern judicial spaces, designed to improve the functioning of courts and facilitate citizens' access to justice services.
In his speech, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Dr Patrick Pélissier, recalled that this inauguration is part of the reformary vision carried out by the Presidential Council of Transition and implemented with determination by the Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. He urged the Government Commissioner of each new jurisdiction « to carry out its functions impartially, rigorously and with due regard for the rights of the litigants, in accordance with the best interests of the Republic ». For his part, Councillor-President Smith Augustin stressed that the Court of Ouanaminthe replied to « a historical claim of the populations of Ouanaminthe, Mont-Organized, Carice and surrounding areas ».
The major challenge now is to ensure the effective functioning of these courts, while several recently established courts are still struggling to be operational owing to lack of resources.
R.J.
