Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore, reporting on the progress of the recent reintroduction of night court on September 8, 2025, said that 171 matters have been heard thus far, and 26 have been disposed of.
Speaking at a press conference, he shared that the latest cycle of night court, commencing as of September 8, 2025, spans the hours of 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM.
“I want to just place on record my appreciation for the work that has been done so far in that area. All the parties have been actually working together, the magistrates, staff, and the police for providing security that we need for the night court to operate,” he said. “I have been at the night court on three occasions, and I was very elated to have seen lawyers present, dressed in their nice suits, representing their clients. Insofar as we have been able to do some evaluation as to how effective the night court has been, so far, and I want to report to the public that so far 171 matters have been heard and 26 matters have been disposed of.”
In the meantime, Blackmoore said going forward, there is a need for continued consultation of the Bar Association and the other relevant stakeholders.
He said a meeting was held with the executive of the Bar Association recently on “how can we mend, but not bend the process.”
“Because at the end of the day, anything that is being done that will allow for greater utility of the court, of course, it’s a plus insofar as access where justice is concerned,” he explained.
Additionally, Blackmoore stated that it lends to the magistrates court being better able to execute its core fundamental function to ensure that grievances and disputes can be disposed of in the interest of the state.
He mentioned other issues that should be taken into consideration.
“Some of the issues that were actually highlighted by the Bar Association can be dealt with insofar as case management is concerned and how the cases are scheduled,” Blackmoore explained. “You may have a situation whereby a lawyer has a client, the client is an elderly person, I think in the scheduling of the matter of course, the court administrator should be sensitive to that.”
He added, “And to have also fundamentally what we call strata hearings where the parties can meet and decide on times for matters to be heard.”
I do not trust any statistics from this Lying regime and its organs. However, If the information is accurate that is commendable.
“To delay justice is injustice.”
Law to govern the use of mediation in the Magistrate’s Courts should be enacted.
Wow! Sounds good. That is 171 matters that would not normally have been heard during the usual work hours. Good job!