Solomon Islands has a new Chief Magistrate, he is Mr John Numapo from Papua New Guinea. He will serve as Chief Magistrate initially for one year.

Mr Numapo was sworn in by Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer at the High Court.

Chief Justice Palmer says Mr Numapo is the right person for the job, commending him for his vast experience as a Magistrate in Papua New Guinea.

“Mr Numapo comes with years of experience, 34 years in total, starting off as a district court magistrate, a post which he held for 12 years from 1986 to 1998, then chief magistrate for three years from 1999 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2009, a period of eight years. Two years as acting chief magistrate and six years as chief magistrate, so you can see he joins us with a solid background of magisterial experience.”

Meanwhile, the new Chief Magistrate says people in Solomon Islands have not been adequately provided with judicial services.

He says the inadequate judicial service has a lot to do with the lack of human resources, an issue he wishes to address once he takes office.