• The post of magistrate was first created in Singapore in 1823. At that time, the British colonial government would appoint 12 magistrates on the first day of each year for a one-year term.
• Today, a magistrate is the judicial officer who presides over hearings in the Magistrates’ Court.
• Magistrates, together with district judges and registrars of the State Courts, are legal service officers and come under the supervision and control of the Singapore Judicial Service.
• A magistrate has first-instance judicial powers (i.e. hears cases for the first time) in handling civil and criminal cases. The Magistrates’ Court can preside over criminal cases with a maximum jail term of five years or punishable with a fine. For civil cases, magistrates can hear cases where the claim does not exceed S$60,000 in value.

The prosecutors asserted that sufficient evidence has been provided to the magistrate to prove that the seized items are related to the investigation. (Lianhe Zaobao, 10/12/2018)

裁判官 (Hong Kong)