New magistrate takes up duties at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court

AFTER BEING CLOSED for nearly three months, the doors of the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court (KMC), reopened yesterday, June 26, after a newly appointed magistrate took up duties there.

Former Assistant Superintendent of Police, John Ballah, who on May 14, celebrated 20 years of service in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), has now been appointed a district magistrate and is presiding at the KMC.

Ballah joined the legal fraternity on October 10, 2016, when he was called to the bar.

Up until his elevation to the position of district magistrate Ballah served as the head of the legal research and policies unit within the RSVGPF.

He took the oath as a magistrate at a swearing in ceremony yesterday and has since begun his tenure at the KMC.

The court was formerly presided over by then Senior Magistrate, Rickie Burnett, who was appointed a High Court Judge with effect from April 3, 2023.

Since he handed down his final sentence in the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on March 31, the court, which is usually crowded, and has a large case load was closed, and matters were being heard at the Serious Offences Court.