CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2026 LEGAL RANKINGS RELEASED
Karel Frielink ranked Band 1 for the 17th time: “He’s good at drafting, and is quick and responsive. Karel Frielink is very clear in his advice, analytical and very sharp.”
Once again, I have been selected as a ranked lawyer in Chambers Global 2026, identifying me as one of the best lawyers in the Dutch Caribbean.
Chambers and Partners in 2026: “Karel Frielink is a leading lawyer who advises on a wide range of matters including commercial transactions, corporate governance and disputes.”
Chambers and Partners is an independent research company operating across 200 jurisdictions delivering detailed rankings and insight into …
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BETERE AFSTEMMING WETGEVING BINNEN HET KONINKRIJK DRINGEND GEWENST
Herhaalde oproep voor het instellen van een gemeenschappelijke Caribische wetgevingsraad
Op grond van artikel 39 lid 1 van het Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden worden het burgerlijk en handelsrecht, de burgerlijke rechtsvordering, het strafrecht, de strafvordering, het auteursrecht, de industriële eigendom, het notarisambt, en de bepalingen omtrent maten en gewichten in Nederland (inclusief de BES-eilanden), Aruba, Curaçao en Sint Maarten zoveel mogelijk op overeenkomstige wijze geregeld. Dit betreft het zogeheten concordantiebeginsel, dat voor alle landen van het Koninkrijk gelijkelijk geldt. Het administratieve recht en het financiële recht behoren hier overigens niet toe.
Hoewel het rechtspersonenrecht tot het burgerlijk recht …
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MIJN JURIDISCHE OOGST IN 2025
Al mijn 2025 publicaties op een rij
Ik leer veel van anderen, maar ik geef ook wat terug aan de juridische gemeenschap. Dit is de oogst van 2025:
K. Frielink, ‘De geschillenregelingen in de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk en Suriname’, in: C.D.J. Bulten, N. Kreileman, G.C. Makkink en M.P. Nieuwe Weme (red.), Handboek Geschillenregeling, Deventer: Wolters Kluwer 2025, hoofdstuk 24.
K. Frielink, ‘De enquêteregelingen in de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk en Suriname’, in: P.E. de Kort en G.C.C. Lewin (red.), Lex De Boer. Bijzonderheden van de Burgerlijk Wetboeken van het Caribisch deel van het Koninkrijk en Suriname, Deventer: …
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THE PRIVATE FOUNDATION
A vehicle for asset protection
A regular foundation under the laws of Curaçao and St. Maarten may only make distributions for charitable (philanthropic) or social purposes and may not make distributions to the incorporator/founder or members of its board. The Stichting Particulier Fonds (SPF), or Private Foundation, is a legal entity and in particular a special form of foundation, which is not subject to this so-called legal ban on certain distributions.
The Private Foundation is frequently used in the context of asset protection as well as for tax and inheritance planning. A common construction is one in which the instigator/principal …
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COMPANY LAW IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN AND SURINAME
Five more or less similar corporate codes
The Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprises Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (the BES islands) have a joint corporate code (Book 2 of the Civil Code). In Sint Maarten, Book 2 of the Civil Code applicable there was amended on November 20, 2019, and the same amendments (with a few differences) were implemented in Curaçao on January 1, 2021. On January 1, 2021, a Book 2 of the Civil Code came into force in Aruba, which has a slightly different structure …
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THANK YOU ChatGPT – YOU NAILED IT!
I asked the question and the answer came in seconds!
“Karel Frielink is considered a top lawyer primarily because of his deep expertise, influential legal work, and leadership in the Dutch Caribbean legal landscape, especially in Curaçao and other parts of the former Netherlands Antilles. Here’s a breakdown of why he is held in high regard:
𝟏. 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞
Corporate Law & Governance: Frielink is highly regarded for his work in corporate and commercial law, particularly in governance, compliance, and insolvency matters.
Litigation & Arbitration: He has represented major clients in complex legal disputes, both in court and …
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ONDERNEMINGSRECHTELIJKE GESCHILLEN
De bundel met mijn bijdrage is vanaf nu verkrijgbaar
Kroniek Caribische en Surinaamse ondernemingsrechtelijke geschillen 2019-2024
Mr. dr. K. Frielink
1 Inleiding / 121
2 Enquêterecht / 122 2.1 De wettelijke regeling / 122 2.2 Indirecte aandelenbelangen / 123 2.3 Geen enquêtesubject / 124 2.4 Gelasten enquête niet opportuun / 125 2.5 Wel wanbeleid, geen voorzieningen / 128 2.6 Voor wie ligt het onderzoeksverslag ter inzage? / 129 2.7 Ontbinding van de vennootschap? / 131
3 Bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid / 132 3.1 Inleiding / 132 3.2 Verzekeraar versus een kleine supermarkt / 133 3.3 Vereffening, bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid en matiging / 138
4 Meerderheids- …
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SURINAAMS ONDERNEMINGSRECHT
Op zoek naar kennis en ervaring? Tap bij de bron!
Voor iedereen in Suriname en daarbuiten die meer wil weten over het op 1 mei 2025 ingevoerde Boek 2 Burgerlijk Wetboek (Rechtspersonen) en het Surinaamse ondernemingsrecht in bredere zin, hieronder staat een overzicht van de meest actuele publicaties van mijn hand. Met ingang van 2023 heb ik in mijn publicaties geanticipeerd op de invoering van dit wetboek. Actueler kun je het niet krijgen.
K. Frielink, Kort begrip van het Nederlands Caribisch en Surinaams Rechtspersonenrecht (2e herziene druk), Deventer: Wolters Kluwer 2023, 540 p.
K. Frielink, ‘Het toepassingsbereik van het enquêterecht …
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KAREL’S 20-YEAR BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY
Today I’m celebrating my 20-year blogging anniversary
Throughout the blog’s 20-year existence, my core focus has remained the same: sharing knowledge about Dutch Caribbean corporate law and finance law. In recent years, the law of Suriname has been added. This addition is also reflected in my academic publications in recent years.
Pages on my weblog that I want to mention specifically are the page with an overview of my presentations and lectures (most of them in Dutch), an overview of my academic publications (in Dutch) and an overview of Read the rest »
GERMAN AWARD FOR DR. KAREL FRIELINK
Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
On 7 April 2025, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Netherlands, Dr. Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, presented in Curaçao to Honorary Consul Dr. Karel Frielink, the Cross of Merit with Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The award was granted by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany as a token of appreciation for the work that Mr. Frielink has done since 2010 for the benefit of Germans in the Caribbean region, the promotion of relations between Germany and the Caribbean parts of …
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NEW CURRENCY FOR CURACAO AND ST. MAARTEN
Curacao and (Dutch) St. Maarten began the transition from the Antillean Guilder (NAf or ANG) to the Caribbean Guilder (Cg or XCG) on March 31, 2025. From now on, the Caribbean Guilder is the legal tender in both countries. All prices, invoices, statements, receipts etc. will be in the new currency (XCG). The XCG has replaced the Antillean Guilder at the same exchange rate of 1 USD = 1.79 XCG.
The Caribbean guilder coins have been issued in the following denominations: 5 guilders, 1 guilder, 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents and 1 cent. For banknotes, the denominations …
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CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2025 LEGAL RANKINGS RELEASED
Karel Frielink ranked Band 1 for the 16th time: “He is incredibly knowledgeable.”
Once again, I have been selected as a ranked lawyer in Chambers Global 2025, identifying me as one of the best lawyers in the Dutch Caribbean.
Chambers and Partners: “Karel Frielink is a leading lawyer who advises on a wide range of matters including commercial transactions, corporate governance and disputes. He is also the Dutch Caribbean representative of asset-tracing legal network ICC FraudNet.” (Emeritus member of FraudNet)
“Strengths: Karel Frielink is an extremely helpful individual who always makes time for you and responds promptly. Moreover, he is …
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