Annual Report 2006/2007 - Attorney

Transcription

Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore
www.agc.gov.sg
our heritage, our aspirations
annual report 06/07
Annual Report 06 / 07
1 Coleman Street, #10-00, Singapore 179803
Telephone +65-6336 -1411 Facsimile +65-6332-5984
Email [email protected]
annual report 06/07
contents
LEGAL DIVISIONS
20
Civil Division
24
Criminal Justice Division
28
International Affairs Division
32
Law Reform and Revision Division
36
Legislation Division
SUPPORT DIVISIONS
Attorney-General’s Foreword
04
TR ANSITIONS
Interview with Solicitor-General Professor Walter Woon
06
Interview with Justice Chan Seng Onn
10
OUR ORGANISATION CHART
Senior Management
16
AGC Organisation Chart
17
42
Corporate Services Division
46
Information Division
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
52
Second Annual Event of The Attorney-General’s Chambers of
Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore
53
Appreciation Lunch for Former Solicitor-General
Chan Seng Onn
54
AGC Dinner and Dance 2007
55
Visits and Events
59
Awards
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
60
Finance
61
Workload
OUR OFFICERS
62
List of AGC-wide Committees
69
List of AGC Officers
73
Editorial Committee
Attorney-General, Singapore
Chao Hick Tin
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A SPIRIT OF PROGRESSION
Law is dynamic and changes as societies, values and perceptions change.
At the Attorney- General’s Chambers, cultivating a spirit of progression enables us to keep abreast
of the complexities of modern society as we continue to develop a fair
and responsive legal system.
Attorney-General’s Foreword
This 12th Annual Report of the Attorney-General’s Chambers
(AGC) highlights the many exciting developments, both on the
domestic as well as international fronts, that have taken place
from 1 November 2006 to 31 December 2007. It is a window into
the vibrancy, vitality and achievements of AGC, and the varied talents that
brought about these accomplishments.
AGC has discharged its constitutional functions with distinction by
providing the Government with the best legal advice on a vast array of
matters and executing its duties as Public Prosecutor faithfully. By ensuring
that the rule of law forms the cornerstone of its functions, AGC plays
a pivotal role in enhancing constitutional governance in Singapore.
Behind the success of AGC is a talented and devoted pool of officers who
share a deep commitment to the furtherance of AGC’s constitutional
functions. Officers from the various Divisions in AGC have been at the
forefront of legal developments over the past year. Officers from the
International Affairs Division, who have been working tirelessly for over
a decade on the Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu
Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), formed an invaluable
part of Singapore’s legal team at the hearing before the International Court
of Justice in November 2007. Another major event which took place this year
was the review of the Penal Code, Singapore’s primary criminal legislation.
Due to the large number of provisions and its extensive coverage, the long
interval since the last review, and new technological developments, the
review was extensive and involved multiple agencies and cross-Divisional
efforts. The exercise was completed in September 2007, and the Amendment
Bill was read and passed in Parliament a month later.
Legislative amendments were also undertaken for the restructuring of
the Legal Service Commission as part of the continuing efforts to make
the Legal Service a more robust and responsive organisation in attracting,
managing and nurturing legal talent. The Legislation Division also played
a significant role in the recent amendments to the Corruption, Drug
Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act,
which serves to bolster Singapore’s drive to eradicate nefarious financial
crimes such as money laundering and funding for terrorism-related
activities. The Civil Division successfully resisted an application by an
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advocate and solicitor for judicial review of his detention under the
Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act as a result of his association
with criminal activities. These major events and developments are some
of the achievements of AGC over the past year, and bear testament to
the unflagging dedication of our officers in meeting the demands of our
evolving nation.
This year also witnessed a change in leadership. It is with a tinge of sadness
that we bade farewell to our former Solicitor-General Chan Seng Onn,
who, having served as Solicitor-General since June 2001, was elevated as
Judge of the High Court on 2 July 2007. During his tenure as SolicitorGeneral, Justice Chan, with his vision and energy, succeeded in streamlining
and enhancing AGC’s internal processes, and contributed tremendously
to the excellence of our organisation. At the same time, we were pleased
to extend our heartiest congratulations to Professor Walter Woon on his
re-designation as Solicitor-General on 2 July 2007.
Since my appointment as Attorney-General on 11 April 2006, I have
experienced the hive of continuous activities that have taken place in
AGC, and felt the pulse of the organsation through the dynamism of
its people. The officers’ initiatives, teamwork and camaraderie continue
to fuel AGC’s sense of purpose and mission and propel AGC to greater
heights. Besides obtaining ISO 9000 re-certification for 2007, we embarked
on a quest to achieve the People Developer Standard (PDS) benchmark for
human resource development. The attainment of the PDS marks yet another
milestone for AGC in its commitment to human resource excellence, and
I congratulate everyone for their role in this achievement.
It has been a busy and challenging year for us. I commend all AGC officers
and staff for their hard work and unstinting dedication over the course
of the year. Through their steady efforts, firm commitment, sterling
professionalism and strong ethics, they have made AGC’s journey towards
organisational excellence a smooth one. As we continue our pursuit for
excellence, we will strive to do even better in the year ahead, and rise to
the challenges that come our way.
CHAO HICK TIN
Attorney-General, Singapore
Solicitor-General, Singapore
Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming
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Interview with Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming,
Solicitor-General
by DPP Vinesh Winodan
Professor Woon, your career is quite diverse: you began in
the National University of Singapore (NUS), where you were
appointed Vice-Dean and, concurrently for some of that term,
you were a Nominated Member of Parliament. You then served
as Legal Advisor to the President and the Council of Presidential Advisers,
before spending nine years in the diplomatic service in Europe. You then
returned to Singapore to serve as Second Solicitor-General and now as
Solicitor-General.
What did you want to be in your days of youth?
I did not have any fi xed ambition; Law was actually not my fi rst choice.
I think it was Business Administration or Accountancy. After my A-levels,
I applied for a PSC scholarship to do Accountancy. At the interview, however,
they told me that Accountancy was not a degree subject. They asked if
I would prefer to do Business Administration instead and I agreed. Then
there was a problem with my A level results. I didn’t get what I expected.
For Economics, I got a P1 for one paper and an F9 for the other, which
I thought was absolutely crazy because I had been getting P1s throughout.
I asked the Ministry of Education if this was right, and they said it was.
But I didn’t know anything about the procedures in those days, so I didn’t
ask to have it re-marked or reviewed. Ultimately, I was not awarded the
scholarship.
I instead applied for another scholarship from DBS and they asked if I would
like to do Law. I figured that if they wanted to give me a scholarship to do
Law, then I would do Law. This scholarship was actually conditional upon my
undertaking an eight year bond. Shortly before I graduated, there was some
consultation between NUS and DBS, the upshot of which was that DBS very
kindly agreed to give me lock, stock and barrel to NUS. I don’t know what
the details of the arrangement were between the two parties, but I ended up
working for NUS. I seem to have gotten into the legal profession by accident.
Was the decision to leave the Foreign Service for the Legal Service a tough one to
make?
No, actually I asked to come back. I had been away for nine years and I asked
the Foreign Minister to let me come home if he did not have anything else
for me to do. This was a year before I left. The reason I asked to come home,
is that I did not want my boys to be strangers in their own country. My sons
would need to come back for National Service (NS) soon: both of them are
due to begin next year. I didn’t want them to have to return to Singapore
and do NS right away. I wanted instead to put them through a bit of the
Singapore education system, so that they would be able to meet some new
friends, get used to the climate, understand the cultural nuances, things like
that. The Foreign Minister was very understanding.
Halfway through that year, I got a call from then Chief Justice Yong Pung
How, who asked if I would be interested in serving on the bench and I
replied that I would be honoured to do so. I then flew back to Singapore
to meet with him and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. They said that they
needed me in AGC. So I took up the offer.
That is something completely different from what you expected. How did you
approach that kind of decision?
Basically, I go where I am needed. People tell me that they have a job,
it looks interesting, it looks challenging, then I’ll do the job. If I don’t like
the job, I’m not bound to carry on.
How do you think your breadth of experience has helped you prepare for your role
as Solicitor-General?
I was trained to do Law, so my training has been quite relevant. When I was
in the faculty at NUS, I took out a practising certificate; I might have been
the first one to do that. This allowed me to do some cases. For my first case,
I appeared before Justice Chao Hick Tin, so I was very fortunate to have had
the opportunity to ease in like that. I did some civil litigation and I appeared
before the Court of Appeal. I also appeared before the Constitutional
Tribunal – the one and only case – where I was led by Mr Joe Grimberg.
So I was very privileged: Joe Grimberg is the best lawyer I have met in
Singapore. All of this gave me some insight. The only thing which I haven’t
done, though, is a criminal case.
Having been in Parliament has also been very useful in that I was able to
see how the legislative process works from that end. In AGC, we do the
back-room stuff; in Parliament, I got to see what happens at the sharp end.
I also had the opportunity to draft an Act myself and bring it through all
the way, so I have some appreciation of what our friends in the Legislation
Division do. Having sat on the boards of listed companies, I also have
a reasonably good idea as to what goes on in the world of business.
For example, the practical problems that company directors face: things
like audit requirements, reporting, problems of agency, etc. Being in the
diplomatic service gave me some insight into the international context in
which we work.
Would you say your appreciation of the role of Solicitor-General is different from
what it was before you took it on?
I don’t think the role of Solicitor-General is something that is fi xed. The
appointment is not a constitutional one: there is no prescribed constitutional
role for the Solicitor-General. The Solicitor-General’s job is to support
the Attorney-General. The Attorney-General has a very important and
I think underrated role; the public doesn’t understand how important the
Attorney-General’s role is. The Solicitor-General’s job is to make sure that
he has adequate backup. Apart from that, basically it is to do whatever the
Attorney-General assigns. It depends on the people holding either position.
If there was a different Attorney-General and a different Solicitor-General,
our roles would be quite different too. I presume you would play to the
strengths of whoever happened to be in whichever post.
There have been very different Solicitor-Generals before me. The first
Solicitor-General that I was aware of was Koh Eng Tian, who was a legislative
draftsman. The role has evolved; there doesn’t seem to be any particular
fi xed role for Solictor-General. I don’t think Koh Eng Tian went into
International Law very much and I don’t think Mr Lee Seiu Kin and
Mr Chan Seng Onn did either. But I seem to be very involved in this
owing to my MFA background. It varies. There’s no one role: you just do
what the situation demands. If it was necessary for me to do legislative
drafting, I would have to learn to do that too.
Despite the varied demands of each role, you have distinguished yourself
in each. Have you set any personal goals for your term as Solicitor-General?
What are these?
I’m not the sort who sets personal goals. I’m very pragmatic in life.
I go where the opportunities arise, so I don’t come in with a fi xed goal.
Basically my attitude is: you give me a job, I’ll do the job.
What have you assessed as some of the key challenges that AGC will have to
address in the near future and beyond?
The first key challenge is to make sure that the Criminal Justice Division
(CJD) is properly staffed and manned because they are the front line for
us. If CJD is not properly staffed and manned, then the cases don’t get
processed. People will stay in remand too long, and judges won’t get to
hear the cases. So CJD is the number one priority for the moment. Getting
enough good people in CJD, keeping the good people there, bringing in
some of the more senior people: this is the fi rst major challenge.
The next challenge would be building up Singapore’s international legal
expertise because we need it. This will have to be done through the
International Affairs Division (IAD), and it’s perhaps a more long-term
challenge. We have good people, so it’s really about pulling it all together.
There is the NUS faculty and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The AttorneyGeneral himself has enormous expertise and experience, and so does
Mr. Tiwari. We have invaluable resources in the form of Prof. Jayakumar
and Prof. Tommy Koh but we need to build on these resources. We should
be tapping on them at the moment, on the experiences that they have
gained and that Singapore has gained over the years. We should preserve
the learning. IAD will be a key factor in positioning Singapore as an
international law hub. There’s no reason why we should abdicate this
to the Western countries. Why in the world do they have a stranglehold
on international law? But this is not a pressing priority at the moment:
it’s a more long-term challenge.
Which time in your life do you look upon as the most fulfilling?
I don’t think I can really pick a stage. That’s not a question I can
easily answer.
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If you could make one different choice about where your life has taken you,
what would that be?
I’ve been singularly fortunate in the path my life has taken. I don’t think
it would be wise to tinker around with it.
You must have some fi nely-tuned productivity techniques, would you be able
to share any of these with us?
I’ve never actually thought about it. Basically I use my time more efficiently
than some others: I tend to be the sort who plans the use of time, but not
consciously. I try to do things in a sequence that saves effort and time.
This is an offshoot of laziness; lazy people are very good at organising
and multi-tasking.
Take, for example, keeping up with the languages. I spent some time
learning French and German, and I don’t want to lose them. So I read the
newspapers on the Internet: at one shot I get to keep up with what is going
on internationally, and at the same time, I keep my French or German
current as the case may be. I have lost the ability to conduct a conversation
in either language but I can read and understand the news. When I was in
Brussels, I would listen to the French and the Dutch news on the radio while
working to get used to the sound of the language. When the files come in
I do the files, when I’m tired of doing the files, I go and do something else.
When I get a moment to spare, I read a bit in between files. I don’t like
exercising for the sake of exercising, so when I go walking, which is my
main exercise, I think about the cases that I’m supposed to be doing.
A good deal of your time has been spent in Europe. What would you say Singapore
can learn from the Europeans or vice-versa?
I have spent one fi fth of my life in Europe: in Cambridge, Bonn, Berlin
and Brussels. When I went there, I was a bigger admirer of the Europeans
than when I came back. I became fed up with the hypocrisy and the selfrighteousness with which they deal with the rest of the world. In terms of
law and order, there is little to learn from them.
In Conversation …
With Justice Chan Seng Onn
by DPP Samuel Chua
Happiness, harmony, balance, reasonableness and humility are
some of the principles that I live my life by. I think that happiness
is an attitude of the mind. As such, I try not to take things too
seriously. As far as possible, I try to forgive and forget. I always
remember that life is short, and I am always conscious of my own mortality
and vincibility. As a young boy in St Joseph’s Institution who had to study
Shakespeare’s Macbeth, one of the examinable textbooks for literature at
Secondary 4 level, the moral of that play and the following passage made a
deep impression on me:“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
Macbeth, Act V Sc V
Former Solicitor-General, Singapore
Chan Seng Onn
What is so important to you in life?
There are 3 main facets in my life- family life, work life, and time to myself.
There is a constant competition between these 3 facets but I try as best as
I can to achieve a balance between them. This balance is necessary in order
for one to achieve the harmony that is built upon the many facets of one’s
relationship with other people.
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Family
My family is very important to me. I have 4 children- 3 daughters and a son
who are 25, 19, 17 and 13 respectively. If there is harmony in my family life,
I would have less worries, which then allows me to focus on my work when
I am in the office.
The important thing, I feel, is to not overstretch oneself too much,
but to strive to work at a healthy pace over the entire working lifespan.
There is no point burning out after a few years and having to leave the
profession as a result. It would be a waste of the training, effort and time
that have been invested if that happens.
Dinner is an important time when my whole family comes together. With the
healthy and palatable food that the domestic helper prepares, my children
frequently flock home for dinner, which lasts about an hour and a half.
We chat about various topics, and share jokes with one another. Dinner is
always the highlight of the day for my family and me. These dinners foster a
strong bond among all the family members and help to strengthen the family
relationships. I believe that a family who has dinner together on a daily basis
stays together. Even if the children were to eventually marry and set up their
own homes, the dinner could still be the focal point for the young families to
come together again. It is always good to have these family dinners as a regular
feature of family life, and to have it become the centrepiece for the day.
I work hard during normal working hours. Although there may be occasions
where long hours are necessary, one must however not take on so much work
that it necessitates working long hours on a daily basis.
Relationship with colleagues
I try to remain professional, fair and reasonable in my dealings with my
colleagues. Needless to say, one has to work together and be part of the
team. Co-operation is essential in order to achieve the common goals of
the organisation. Having good colleagues and supportive bosses have
helped tremendously.
In 1991, I was posted to the Supreme Court as the Senior Assistant Registrar
(SAR) where I dealt with a totally different area of legal work – a lot of
civil procedure matters, interlocutory applications, Order 14 hearings,
assessment of damages, taxation of costs and bankruptcy hearings etc.
It was interesting to move from the practice of criminal law as a DPP to
an entirely new area of chambers work as the SAR.
Work-life balance
At work, I feel that it is important to be conscientious, committed and be as
efficient and productive as possible. Working life is a marathon and not a short
sprint, and has to be sustainable as such. It is unhealthy not to have a work-life
balance. If this balance is absent and one does not have sufficient rest and
sleep so as to have the needed energy and clarity of mind, one’s efficiency
and concentration will decrease and mistakes will inadvertently be made.
Three years later, I rejoined AGC as Deputy Head of the Crime Division,
after which I was appointed Head of the Crime Division in July 1995.
How have you been maintaining your stamina in the Legal Service these 20 years?
I have been able to keep my stamina in this marathon in the Legal Service
partly because I have been rotated to various appointments every 3 to
6 years. The change of job and environment is rejuvenating. I started out
as a Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) in the Attorney-General’s Chambers
(AGC) in 1987 where I learnt litigation and advocacy, and honed my
cross-examination skills.
On 15 October 1997, I was appointed Judicial Commissioner and I served
on the Supreme Court bench until my appointment as Solicitor-General
on 1 June 2001. On 2 July 2007, I was appointed a High Court Judge.
The very varied postings made my working life in the Legal Service very
interesting as I had much to learn with each new posting. There was never
really a dull moment in my legal career. Over the past 20 years, I have been
able to learn different areas of the law from the different capacities that I
have been in. This all-rounded development in the law has served me well
as a Legal Service officer and as a Judge.
What attracted you to enter into the legal profession in 1986?
After I completed my A levels, I immediately decided to pursue an engineering
course as I loved science and mathematics subjects as a student. I thought
that it was natural for me to pursue a degree in engineering, which I did
at University College London.
After I had worked as an engineer in the Civil Service for about 6-7 years
and had obtained my professional qualifications in the engineering field,
the Government extended an offer for me to study law on a Government
scholarship. That came as a surprise to me, since I had already spent about
6-7 years in a profession that was totally unrelated to law.
At that time, the Government was inviting engineering scholars to consider
switching to law at a time when the Legal Service was suffering from a
haemorrhage of Legal Service Officers who were leaving the Legal Service
for the lucrative private sector. Although the scholarship would have allowed
us to study law on a full pay basis, only 5 persons eventually took up this offer.
Initially, the offer was to do a 4-year course in the National University of
Singapore (NUS) or a 3-year course overseas. For me, the choice of a 3-year
course overseas was not possible, as I was already married by then, and my
wife had a stable job in Singapore. NUS finally decided to tailor a
compressed 2-year course for us and I took up the offer to study in NUS,
which allowed my wife to continue working in Singapore.
The compressed 2-year course was very challenging as the NUS Law Faculty
removed all the non-law modules and compressed 3 years’ worth of law
modules into 3 semesters within 2 years. Each semester lasted 7 months,
with 1 month’s vacation between each semester. Our lessons were structured
on a tutorial basis, with a teacher-student ratio of 1:5. That meant that we
had a lot of interaction with our professors and lecturers, and we had to be
constantly on our toes during each tutorial.
I knew that the course was going to be rigorous, but I thought it was worth
a try, since the Government’s offer to study on a full salary scholarship was
hard to refuse. Moreover, I was assured that if I did not succeed in making
it through law school, I could return to my engineering career. With this
safety net in place, I took the plunge and embarked on the 2-year Bachelor
of Law degree in NUS from 1984 to 1986. After graduating from NUS,
I went to Cambridge University and obtained my Masters of Law in 1987.
One of the major factors in my decision to read law was a pending litigation
suit in which my father was involved as a defendant in another jurisdiction
over a land matter. The litigation in the court of first instance began in 1977
and lasted until 1992. The appeal in the final court concluded only in 1996.
I felt then that not having knowledge of the law really put us in a difficult
position when we dealt with the lawyers and when my father, and subsequently,
my father’s estate had to defend the suit.
My desire to help my father in the course of the litigation was another
important reason for my decision to study law. I thought that my doing
so would be of help to my father in managing the litigation. Having had
first-hand experience in the case helped me to understand the anxiety
and trauma that litigants might face whether it involves a criminal or
a civil case. Being a witness and undergoing cross-examination on the
stand had been an unforgettable experience for me.
Back then, I felt the impact of ‘justice delayed, justice denied’. My father
passed away before the trial was heard. Although the estate succeeded in
defending the case, which finally ended 19 years later in 1996, the next stage
to sue for damages was so protracted that we finally gave it all up in 2006.
Through this experience, I have developed some sympathy for parties who
are fighting for their rights or defending themselves in the litigation process.
Unless and until one is in their shoes, one may not fully realise the extent of
the trauma, anxieties and difficulties that litigants experience, even though
they may have counsel to act for them. It might just be another brief for the
counsel who is representing the litigant, but the experience is very different
for the litigant.
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Having been a witness, a prosecutor, a judge, and a litigant as such
through my involvement in my father’s case, has given me a 360-degree
appreciation of the litigation process.
What are the fundamental values and guiding principles that a DPP and
a State Counsel should have?
Honesty and integrity are fundamental values that a DPP and a State
Counsel should have. A DPP has the heavy responsibility of deciding whether
a case has to be prosecuted in the exercise of his prosecutorial discretion.
He must be absolutely fair in dealing with the matter, regardless of the race,
religion, educational level and background of the person being investigated.
The DPP must make his decision on the merits of the case, in line with the
guiding principles that have been set by the Criminal Justice Division. There
must not be any form of discrimination in his decision-making process.
The DPP has the responsibility to search for and pursue the truth of the
facts in the case to the best of his abilities. When he is doubtful as to where
the truth of the matter lies, he must try his best to discern which party
should be believed. If there is insufficient evidence to mount a successful
prosecution against the person who is being investigated, he ought not to
proceed. Fundamentally, the DPP should be guided by two principles in
his decision to prosecute such a person: (1) Is there sufficient evidence?
(2) Is the prosecution in the public interest?
The DPP must be thorough in his work because a man’s life and liberty are
at stake. He must carefully consider all the facts and circumstances of each
case before he makes any prosecutorial decision. How the DPPs discharge
their heavy responsibility of safeguarding and promoting the public interest
will have a bearing on whether the public will continue to have faith and
confidence in the office of the Public Prosecutor. Clearly, this office is a very
important part of Singapore’s legal structure.
A State Counsel is the legal advisor to the government. He must be conscious
of the fact that he is there to help uphold the rule of law and constitutional
government. He must maintain political neutrality at all times and have the
courage to uphold what the Constitution stands for. He must be true to the
law and advise the government accordingly.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) is a unique institution that plays
a very important role in Singapore’s justice system. It is one of the pillars
in our constitutional structure. Its strength can lie only in the quality of the
people that serve in it. If the people in the AGC adhere to the core values
that have been established, the AGC will become an institution that the
public will have respect for, and have confidence in. This important role
can be performed by no one else, but by the officers of the AGC.
What challenges do you see the Legal Service facing at present and in the
near future?
With the excellent market conditions for lawyers outside presently,
the Legal Service faces a high turnover of experienced and good Legal
Service officers. Our challenge lies in retaining and developing quality
officers who are needed in the Legal Service.
The Legal Service needs to have a highly-trained prosecution service. We
must not have situations where prosecution of cases fail because the DPPs
are not as competent as they should be and are unable to match up to the
Defence Counsel in the private sector, be they Senior Counsel or otherwise.
Such high standards can be achieved, maintained and raised only when
good officers are retained in the Legal Service.
The Legal Service offers a wide range of jobs, which include judicial
appointments in the Subordinate Courts as District Judges or Magistrates
or Assistant Registrars in the Supreme Court Registry, DPPs in the Criminal
Justice Division, State Counsel in the Civil and International Law Divisions,
legislative draftsmen in the Legislation and Law Reform and Revision
Divisions and “CEO” positions in Statutory Boards and Legal Departments.
How have you been maintaining a healthy lifestyle while holding on to a
demanding position in the Legal Service?
When I was younger, I used to go to the gym and jog about 4km every day
along the footpath by the Pandan River, near where I live. After several years
of doing that, I was gradually experiencing aches and pains in the knees and
backbone despite having a pair of good running shoes. I concluded that age
was catching up on me. I downgraded to walking that distance. However,
after some years of walking, I developed pain in my heels, likely to be heel
spurs. I have now downgraded to using a cross-trainer machine at home
which is designed to reduce the stress on these parts that hurt. I now spend
about half an hour on the cross-trainer almost daily.
The salary packages of Legal Service officers are pretty good. Although
they cannot be said to be matching the top salary ranges in the private
sector, the compensation packages are reasonable and fair.
Ultimately, the people who are drawn to the Legal Service must have a
deep sense of public service, and a deep sense of commitment to the rule
of law and to the ideals that are enshrined in the Constitution. Legal Service
officers must be faithful in the exercise of their decision-making powers in
whatever positions they have been placed.
I feel that the nature of the work in the Legal Service more than
compensates for the differences in the salaries offered by the private sector.
For example, it is easier to obtain a work-life balance in the Legal Service.
There is also no need to worry about having to pander to the desires of
clients.
On the whole, I hope that the Legal Service would maintain its
competitiveness with the private sector in attracting good lawyers to
join and remain in the Service. If there is a constant turnover of officers,
it would then be difficult to build up the experience and professionalism
of the team of officers within the Legal Service.
I am, however, not too successful at maintaining a healthy diet. I have a
liking especially for Chinese and Indian food. Among my favourite foods
are turtle soup with brandy, Hainanese chicken rice, roast duck, chilli crab,
curry fish head etc and etc.
What advice would you give to someone who intends to join, or has recently joined
the Legal Service?
Make up your mind on whether you would want to remain in the Legal
Service or in the private sector in the long term. It is a difficult decision to
make upon graduating from Law School, but this decision would not be half
as difficult as the decision regarding the course to pursue at University after
the A level exams.
Decide on whether to stay in Service or in the private sector as early as
possible in your legal career, because the skill sets that are required to excel
in each are not quite the same. If you delay in making the decision, you may
lose out in the long run as compared to someone who has made the decision
early on in his legal career. Once you have made the decision, put your
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heart, soul and commitment into it. That would augur well in the long run,
because if you do want to make a long term career in the Legal Service, the
Legal Service can then train you up and rotate you to various posts and
assignments, where you will have opportunities to explore your strengths
and interests as you try out different areas of work.
If you have half a mind to leave the Legal Service all the time, you will not be
able to give your full commitment to your work.
I believe in maximising the potential of each officer, to discover where his
strength lies and to develop his strong points. One must have a long term
human resource framework to progressively develop all the officers, since a
lot of resources will have to be invested in the human capital by continuously
developing, training and guiding the officers. If officers at different levels
leave the Legal Service on a regular basis, the Legal Service will lose the
wealth of knowledge and experience that has been built up over the years
and the Service will have to repeatedly rebuild the foundations, instead of
building on the existing foundations to add to the existing knowledge and
experience.
Inevitably, there will be ups and downs in working life anywhere, including
the public service. However, one should not bail out and jump ship at the
slightest downturn.
It is advisable not to compare yourself with other officers and to make
yourself unhappy and leave the Legal Service as a result of that unhappiness.
Your happiness and job performance should not be affected by making such
comparisons. Neither should you let these comparisons affect your attitude
towards the work. Just try your very best, and let the rest take care of itself,
since there will be no end to comparisons with other colleagues.
Always remember that happiness is an attitude of the mind. I constantly
remind myself to be humble, to remember my mortality and vincibility,
to never pursue glory or acclaim, to be honest to myself, to have a clear
conscience, to be fair to others, to not take things to heart, and to take
everything that life brings into my path with a pinch of salt.
Senior Management
Back row (from left to right):
PSSC Ter Kim Cheu, PSSC Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck, PSSC S Tiwari, SSC S Jennifer Marie, PSSC Lawrence Ang Boon Kong,
PSSC Charles Lim Aeng Cheng
Front row (from left to right):
Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin, Solicitor-General Professor Walter Woon
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AGC Organisation Chart
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Chao Hick Tin
Professor Walter Woon
LEGAL DIVISIONS
Civil Division
Law Reform and Revision Division
PSSC Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck
PSSC Charles Lim Aeng Cheng
PSSC Lawrence Ang Boon Kong
PSSC Ter Kim Cheu
PSSC S Tiwari
SUPPORT DIVISIONS
• Financial Management Unit
S Jennifer Marie
Director
• Human Resource
Development Unit
• Office Management Unit
• Personnel Management Unit
• Public Affairs Unit
Charles Lim
Director / CIO
Directors
and Assistant Directors (LSOs)
CISD
1. MCIO officers (IDA)
2. Outsourced service
providers (e.g. HP)
KM Central
KM Executive (vacant)
Library
1. Librarian (NLB)
2. Library Technicians
(NLB)
Common Pool - Support Staff
(CSOs/OSOs)
Legal Divisions
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MISSION STATEMENT
To enhance the rule of law and constitutional government in Singapore
by providing sound legal advice and assistance in developing a fair
and responsive legal system, furthering good public administration
and protecting the interest of the state and of the people.
Civil Division
Article 35(7) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore
provides that it is the Attorney-General’s duty to advise the
Government on legal matters and to perform other duties of a
legal character. Under section 19 of the Government Proceedings
Act (Cap. 121), it is the Attorney-General who bears the solemn duty to
represent the Government in civil proceedings. In that capacity, the Civil
Division serves as the Government’s law firm – whether in providing sound
legal advice, acting as its advocate in all legal fora and negotiations, or
drafting and vetting legal documents.
However, in the execution of its mission, the Civil Division is ever mindful
that its duties to Singapore extend beyond that expected of any lawyer – for
not only is a duty owed to the Government to secure its interests and effect
its policies, it is also under a duty to the Courts to facilitate the
administration of Justice, and above all, discharge the duty owed to the
people of Singapore to ensure good governance and the Rule of Law in all
the Government’s endeavours. This delicate balancing act requires legal
officers in the Civil Division to be ever mindful of not only the law and
government policy, but also the rationale behind the same, and always to be
alive to where the public interest lies.
Principal Senior State Counsel
Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck
In this work year, the Civil Division has taken on a significant work load,
encompassing a wide range of legal matters. In the area of providing the
Government with legal advice, the Civil Division continues to be presented
with hosts of complex legal questions from enquiring Ministries and
Government bodies, which questions range over a wide variety of legal fields
– land acquisition, disciplinary proceedings, workmen’s compensation
claims, adoptions, leases, licenses, copyright and government contracts,
tenders & procurements, to name but a few. Yet in spite of the breadth of its
responsibilities, the Civil Division continues to ensure that the Government
is always kept appraised of its legal responsibilities and available courses
of action.
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In the field of litigation, the Civil Division continues to represent the
Government in contentious civil cases ranging from the routine to the
extraordinary. In 2007, notable cases included:a.
Tee Soon Kay v AG – This was Singapore’s first class action lawsuit,
taken out by more than 100 retired civil servants seeking a declaration
from the Courts to ‘undo’ their decision to leave the pension scheme
and convert to the scheme under the Central Provident Fund (CPF)
some 33 years ago. Having failed before the High Court, this matter
was brought before the Court of Appeal, where the appellants sought
to overturn the ruling on a point of constitutional law that a public
servant’s right to a pension was entrenched under Articles 112, 113 and
115 of the Singapore Constitution. The Civil Division was successful in
defending the Government’s position that the Pensions Act (Cap. 225)
did not guarantee them a pension, nor did the Singapore Constitution
entrench their pensions, so their decision to opt out of the pension
scheme was not null and void. The appellants were therefore precluded
from ‘turning back the clock’.
b. Edmund Wong Sin Yee v Minister of Home Affairs – The applicant was
an alleged narcotics syndicate leader detained under the provisions of
the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (Cap. 67). He filed a
habeas corpus application to challenge his detention and its extension.
The Civil Division was successful in refuting his allegations by showing
that there had been evidence against him to justify his detention,
and that the Government’s decision to detain him was therefore not
unreasonable. In so doing, the Civil Division emphasised that the writ
of habeas corpus existed to allow detainees the opportunity to challenge
the legality of their detention, and was not supposed to be used as a
forum to invite the Courts to substitute the Government’s assessment
of the facts with their own.
c.
In the Horizon Towers en-bloc saga, the Civil Division was drawn in
when the objecting subsidiary proprietors sought judicial review of the
decision by the Strata Titles Board to call for early hearing dates. The
Civil Division was required to fend off arguments from both sides of this
dispute – objecting to the purchaser’s attempts to intervene as a matter
of principle, and objecting to the proprietors’ application for leave to
seek judicial review, on the basis that the Board’s decision was sound.
The application was dismissed.
d. In the liquidation of Chip Thye Engineering, the Civil Division was
called upon to recover outstanding foreign workers’ levy which the
insolvent company had accrued in the past. The liquidator of the
company sought to have these claims dismissed on the basis that they
were time-barred and not entitled to be given priority over other
creditors, thereby relegating the Government’s claim for unpaid foreign
worker’s levy to just another debt. The Civil Division successfully argued
that the foreign worker’s levy was a tax and therefore not subject to a
time-bar, and that it had to be given priority by the liquidator. This
case clarified the degree of precedence to be accorded to the levies
and charges imposed by the Government in any liquidation. More
importantly, this case has far-reaching implications on the legal
nature of such levies and charges.
e.
Pang Chen Suan v Commissioner for Labour – The applicant,
a labourer injured in an explosion, sought compensation under the
Workmen’s Compensation Act ( Cap. 354). The applicant vacillated
between seeking compensation under the Act and pursuing a common
law claim, so much so that he took out a workmen’s compensation claim,
withdrew the same to pursue a common law claim, then withdrew this
claim as well and tried to apply for compensation under the Act again.
The Commissioner for Labour rejected his fresh application on the
ground that his fresh application was out of time. The applicant sought
judicial review against the decision of the Commissioner for Labour.
In Court, the Civil Division successfully refuted the applicant’s
arguments that the pursuit of alternative remedies (i.e. the common
law claim) was a reasonable ground for delay. The Commissioner’s
rejection of the late application was therefore justified in law.
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Outside of litigation work, the Civil Division has also been called upon
to assist, and in some cases spearhead, various Government initiatives.
These include:a.
The Civil Division is currently engaged in facilitating Singapore’s bid
to host the world’s inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010. The event is
expected to feature about 3,500 athletes aged 14 to 18, competing in
26 sports. Other cities competing to host the bid include Algiers
(Algeria), Athens (Greece), Moscow (Russia), Turin (Italy), Bangkok
(Thailand), Belgrade (Serbia), Debrecen (Hungary), Guatemala City
(Guatemala), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Poznan (Poland). The Civil
Division is working closely with the Ministries to ensure that Singapore’s
bid sets out clearly what Singapore is willing to commit to, and the
unique merits it would bring to the table as a host city.
b. The Civil Division assisted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the
negotiation and drafting of the Extradition Treaty Between Singapore
and Indonesia, thereby paving the way for closer co-operation between
our respective judicial systems.
c.
In pursuit of Singapore’s drive towards becoming an international
research & development hub, the Civil Division engaged in negotiations
with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This culminated
in a strategic partnership, which established the Singapore – MIT
Alliance for Research & Technology Centre (SMART).
d. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic
Communications in International Contracts (the Convention) is
the latest legal instrument developed by the UN Commission on
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in the area of electronic
commerce. In signing the Convention, Singapore will join a number
of other countries in signifying its support for the new Convention,
the development of which Singapore played a central role. The Civil
Division’s PSSC Jeffrey Chan took a leading role in the deliberations
on the Convention as the Chairman of Working Group IV on Electronic
Commerce, and also as the Chair of the deliberations on the Convention
at the 38th UNCITRAL plenary session which adopted the Convention.
In the area of training, and continuing the Civil Division’s commitment
to entrenching the Rule of Law in the Civil Service, the Civil Division
conducted the Constitutional and Administrative Law Seminar for all
civil servants and statutory board officers. Such seminars serve both as a
forum for civil servants to raise their legal concerns, and for the Civil
Division to educate civil servants on the critical legal principles they
should bear in mind in the course of their duties.
The Criminal Justice Division is devoted to promoting a just
criminal justice system by pursuing a fair and impartial policy in
the prosecution of offenders.
The Attorney-General, in his role as the Public Prosecutor, has the
sole discretion to institute, conduct and discontinue criminal proceedings.
To carry out this function, the Public Prosecutor is assisted by Deputy Public
Prosecutors and Assistant Public Prosecutors of the Criminal Justice Division
(CJD), which is headed by Principal Senior State Counsel, Mr. Lawrence
Ang. CJD is organised into 8 specialised directorates. Directorates 1, 2
and 3 deal with trial litigation in the Subordinate Courts; Directorate
4 deals with corruption and specialised crime cases; Directorate 5 deals
with financial and securities offences; Directorates 6 and 7 deal with
trial litigation in the High Court and Court of Appeal respectively;
and Directorate 8 handles advice to government departments, extradition
and mutual legal assistance matters.
Lawrence Ang Boon Kong
Apart from attending to matters in court, CJD’s officers have other
responsibilities and are involved in a wide array of activities. For instance,
Deputy Public Prosecutors give advice to law enforcement agencies,
Government and statutory bodies on criminal justice matters. They also
evaluate investigation papers from various law enforcement agencies and
review and assist in the drafting of proposed amendments to penal
legislation, such as the review of the Penal Code (Cap. 224) and Criminal
Procedure Code (Cap. 68). CJD’s officers also conduct courses and lectures
such as the Prosecutor’s Training course, and the Investigation Officers’
Training Seminar, to help develop and improve the relevant skills required
of officers in the criminal justice system.
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Significant Cases Undertaken By CJD In The Past Year
High Court Cases
In the case of PP v Tan Chor Jin, the accused who was dubbed the “Oneeyed dragon” by the media, was tried in the High Court for a charge under
s 4(1) of the Arms Offences Act (Cap. 65) read with s 4(2) of the same Act.
The accused was alleged to have discharged 6 rounds from a Beretta pistol,
with intent to cause physical injury to one Lim Hock Soon (the deceased),
in a HDB flat in Serangoon. Unprecedented in capital cases, the accused
consistently refused legal representation, despite attempts made to assign
him a defence counsel. Throughout the course of the trial, the accused
raised varying defences, from that of accident, to private defence, to
intoxication. At the end of the trial, the High Court found the accused
guilty of the charge and held that the accused had “shot to kill” the
deceased and “succeeded”. The accused was sentenced to the mandatory
death penalty. The accused has since filed an appeal against his conviction.
Another high profile murder trial was PP v Lee Chez Kee. The murder was
committed 13 years ago in 1993 and the accused had been on the run for
12 years before he was finally arrested in 2005. The accused in this case was
charged with the murder of an Associate Professor of the National University
of Singapore. The accused, with his two accomplices, Too Yin Sheong and
Ng Chek Siong, had gone to the deceased’s home to commit robbery, in the
course of which the deceased was murdered. At trial, the prosecution
contended that the accused had stabbed the deceased in the neck and then
strangled him, thereby killing him. The accused, however, contended that
he had left the room while the deceased was still alive with Too.
An interesting point of law was raised when the prosecution sought to
admit Too’s confessions under s 378(1)(b)(i) of the Criminal Procedure
Code (Cap. 68) (since Too was, by that time, dead by judicial hanging).
The court eventually held that Too’s confessions were admissible under the
said provision.
At the conclusion of trial, the High Court convicted the accused for murder
and sentenced him to the mandatory death penalty. This case has gone on
appeal and is awaiting judgment from the Court of Appeal.
In PP v Ervinna Kuan, the accused, who was a police officer, pleaded guilty
to a charge of abetting one Lai Chin Yeong in the commission of an offence
under s 3(1) of the Arms Offences Act (Cap. 14) and another charge under
s 45(b) of the Telecommunications Act (Cap. 323). Lai had persuaded the
accused to hand over her police-issued pistol to him for certain verifications
to be made before she could be considered for the new employment
which he was recommending her. Lai failed to return the pistol to her.
Subsequently, he suggested that a staged robbery could be arranged so that
the accused could report to the police that her gun had been stolen from
her. However, Lai did not carry this out, and the accused eventually called
‘999’ to report that her revolver was stolen by 2 men. In mitigation, counsel
for the accused urged the Court to award a lenient sentence in view of
the fact that the accused was cheated by Lai to part with her pistol. The
Prosecution submitted that the accused, having been a police officer of
10 years, should not have been so gullible. The accused was eventually
sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment.
Appeal Cases
In PP v Han John Han, the Respondent pleaded guilty to a charge of
culpable homicide not amounting to murder for stabbing his pregnant
wife with a sword. Another charge for causing the death of his unborn
child was taken into consideration for the purpose of sentencing. The
High Court sentenced the Respondent to 3 years’ imprisonment. The
Prosecution appealed on sentence. On appeal, the Prosecution argued
that in light of the gravity of the offences, which resulted in the loss of
two lives, the Court would be sending a wrong signal to the general public
if it did not enhance the manifestly inadequate sentence of 3 years’
imprisonment, notwithstanding that the offences had been committed
by the Respondent when he was suffering from a delusional disorder.
The Court of Appeal enhanced the sentence to 5 years’ imprisonment.
In PP v TT Durai, the former CEO of the NKF, TT Durai, faced a charge of
corruption for using false documents with intent to deceive the NKF. Durai
had deceived the NKF into making a S$20,000 payment to an interior design
consultancy company, DTC Pte Ltd, for services that were never rendered.
Durai had in fact meant for the payment to be a personal reward for one
David Tan, the managing director of DTC, and had instructed Tan to submit
a false invoice for that purpose. When his defence was called, Durai elected
to remain silent. The court eventually convicted Durai on the charge. In its
submission on sentence, the Prosecution urged the court to impose a
deterrent sentence, and highlighted the fact that the public interest was
at stake since the abuse of charitable funds is a grave threat to public
confidence in charities and institutions of public character. Durai was
sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment.
In Ng Ai Hong v PP, the accused person claimed trial and was convicted
on eight charges of abetting the commission of corruption offences
by intentionally aiding one Zhang Jinyan to give monetary gratification
to one Lee Chee Keong, as an inducement and reward for him to enter into
a “marriage of convenience” with Zhang, so that the marriage certificate
thereby obtained could be used to facilitate Zhang’s application for
Singapore permanent residency status. The accused appealed against
conviction. One of the grounds raised on appeal was that the word
“corrupt” did not extend to such situations of “marriage of convenience”.
The High Court upheld the convictions and stated that all eight charges
were sustainable in law.
In PP v Loo Say San and PP v Richard Yong Kun Da, both accused persons,
who were former directors of the NKF, faced one charge under s 157(1)
of the Companies Act (Cap. 50), for failing to act with reasonable diligence
in the discharge of their duties as directors. The NKF had entered into a
software project agreement with Forte Systems Inc. There were extreme
delays in the project and Forte billed the NKF a sum of over S$3 million for
9219 man-days worth of “excess effort”. A report prepared by an internal
team of the NKF, headed by K Jayaraman, concluded that only 538 man-days
were due to Forte for excess effort. The accused persons however, without
seeking advice from Jayaraman or anyone else in the NKF, subsequently
proposed to Forte a figure of 5310 man-days worth of excess effort. Forte was
eventually paid according to this proposal. The defence argued that what
the accused persons did was a commercial decision. They also claimed that
they had in fact relied on input from Jayaraman. However, they could not
satisfactorily explain why the proposed settlement was so much more than
the recommendation made by the NKF’s internal team. At the end of the
trial, the Court found both accused persons guilty of the charges. Loo was
sentenced to a fine of S$5,000 and a 3-year Disqualification Order (from
being a director), while Yong was sentenced to a fine of S$5,000 and a 4-year
Disqualification Order (from being a director).
Subordinate Court Cases
The high profile commercial crime cases revolved around the National
Kidney Foundation (NKF) saga. From a civil defamation suit initiated
by TT Durai against the Singapore Press Holdings, for publishing an
account from a plumber who worked on the attached bathroom of Durai’s
private office suite, the matter escalated into one of the year’s biggest
scandals, causing a public outcry and kick-starting criminal investigations
of the top officials in the NKF.
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Other Work Undertaken By CJD In The Past Year
Mutual Legal Assistance
CJD’s Advisory Directorate is responsible for processing incoming requests
to Singapore for mutual legal assistance as well as facilitating the making of
requests by Singapore to foreign countries for such assistance. Following the
legislative amendments to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act
(Cap. 190A) which came into effect on 1 April 2006, Singapore can now
render mutual legal assistance to a foreign country notwithstanding the
absence of a bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty between that country and
Singapore if an undertaking of reciprocity is provided by the country
requesting assistance. A direct result of this amendment has been an increase
in the number of requests for mutual legal assistance made to Singapore;
statistics collated by the Advisory Directorate showed a 25% increase in the
number of requests received between April 2006 and March 2007 over the
number of requests received in the corresponding period a year earlier.
A total of 75 requests for mutual legal assistance were received and processed
by the Advisory Directorate between April 2006 to March 2007, as compared
to 60 requests received and processed between April 2005 and March 2006.
Officers in the Advisory Directorate successfully processed a wide range of
requests over the past year, including the first request received by Singapore
for assistance in enforcing a foreign confiscation order which resulted in the
realisation of proceeds of crime worth over S$3 million.
Significant Events in 2007
Officers from the CJD were also engaged throughout 2007 in a diverse
spectrum of legal work with both regional and international flavour.
In March 2007, CJD organised and hosted a meeting of Senior Officials
from various ASEAN countries to discuss the Treaty on Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty between like-minded ASEAN Member
Countries. Officers also shuttled tirelessly between Singapore and Indonesia
to negotiate and draft the Extradition Treaty between Singapore and
Indonesia, which was eventually signed on 27 April 2007 in Bali. In addition,
CJD officers were actively involved in preparations for the Financial Action
Task Force’s third round of Mutual Evaluations, as well as in fielding
questions from the team of international assessors during the on-site
evaluation in Singapore in September 2007.
Officers of the CJD will continue to meet future challenges that come their
way, while upholding and advancing the interests of justice in the criminal
justice system.
The International Affairs Division (IAD) plays an important role
in promoting and safeguarding Singapore’s interests on the
international front. In addition to providing legal advice to
Government ministries and statutory boards on issues of
international law, the IAD represents Singapore at various fora in the
negotiation and drafting of multilateral and bilateral agreements, as well
as participating in international dispute resolution and other types of legal
proceedings on behalf of the Singapore Government.
The period from January to December 2007 was a busy one with Singapore
being engaged in new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with China
and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). There were ongoing bilateral
FTA negotiations with Canada, Peru and Pakistan, as well as multilateral
FTA negotiations involving ASEAN-China, ASEAN-India, ASEAN-Japan,
ASEAN-Korea and ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand. For completed FTAs,
there were reviews for the Agreement between Japan and Singapore for a
New-Age Economic Partnership (JSEPA), the Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreement with India (CECA) and the European Free Trade
Association-Singapore FTA (ESFTA).
Apart from FTAs, Investment Guarantee Agreements (IGAs) were also
negotiated with various countries so as to provide protection for investments.
Sivakant Tiwari
The IAD continued to play its role as legal counsel to the Singapore
Government in the Pedra Branca case. The hearing of the case took
place at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague from 6 to
23 November 2007.
Free Trade Agreements and Other Economic Agreements
In 2007, Singapore continued to negotiate FTAs with various trading
partners. IAD officers played a significant role as legal counsel, assisting
in the negotiations, providing legal advice and drafting the legal texts.
The second and third rounds for the China-Singapore FTA (CSFTA)
negotiations took place in March and September respectively. When
concluded, the CSFTA is expected to be a comprehensive agreement
which will include chapters on trade in goods, services, on investments
and also cooperation initiatives in other areas.
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Three rounds of negotiations for the GCC-Singapore FTA (GCCSFTA),
which involved the six Member Countries of the GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), took place in
January, April and October 2007.
After a hiatus of about three years, negotiations for the Canada-Singapore
FTA resumed and took place in February and August 2007.
In January 2007, it was announced that there was an in-principle agreement
on the major elements to be improved pursuant to the review of JSEPA.
This was formalised in a Protocol Amending the JSEPA which was signed
by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe on 19 March 2007 in Tokyo. The major elements include improved
market access in the area of industrial and agricultural products, revised
rules of origin, revised customs procedures, improved financial services
commitments, and technical alterations to competition provisions.
The revised JSEPA will result in greater liberalisation in trade in goods
and services, as well as enhance trade and investment links between the
two countries.
With regard to the review for the CECA, which was concluded in March,
it was agreed that by 1 July 2007, DBS would be permitted to open up to
eight new branches in India and United Overseas Bank would get approval
to open one branch. The State Bank of India would also get qualifying full
bank status in Singapore by the same date. India and Singapore agreed to
further liberalise trade in goods.
The Member States of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Singapore held their second
Joint Committee meeting on 14 March 2007 and discussed various aspects
of the ESFTA. The Joint Committee adopted five Decisions that would,
after their entry into force, further facilitate the trade in goods between
the Parties.
The Agreement on Trade in Services of the Framework Agreement on
Comprehensive Economic Co-operation between ASEAN and the People’s
Republic of China (ACFTA Services Agreement) was signed on 14 January
2007. The ACFTA Services Agreement grants ASEAN service suppliers
preferential market access to the Chinese market, beyond China’s WTO
market access commitments. IAD officers were involved in the negotiations
of the ASEAN-China FTA Investment Agreement, particularly in providing
policy suggestions and drafting inputs tabled during the negotiations in
order to help move the process forward by addressing the concerns of China
and ASEAN Member Countries over the need for flexibility to change their
respective current investment regime and commitments and ensure that any
approach adopted must increase investor confidence and a host country’s
credibility.
The pace of negotiations for the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (AJCEP) was stepped up with negotiations held in
February, April, June, August, October and November 2007. The AJCEP
negotiations are substantially concluded.
The Agreement on Trade in Services under the Framework Agreement on
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation among the Governments of the
Member Countries of ASEAN and Korea was signed during the ASEANRepublic of Korea Summit in November. The Legal Drafting Group,
chaired by an IAD officer, was tasked with drafting text and notes of
exchange negotiated by the Parties. The negotiations for the ASEAN-Korea
FTA Investment Agreement are in progress.
Several rounds of negotiations for the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand
FTA were held in March, June, August, September and December 2007.
The negotiations are on-going.
Singapore also participated in the negotiations of the ASEAN-India FTA,
which are ongoing.
Investment Guarantee Agreements
The IAD handled IGA negotiations with various countries in the course of
2007, including Oman (February), Tunisia (May), Kazakhstan (August) and
Turkey (September). The Singapore-Oman and the Singapore-Turkey IGA
negotiations have been completed and the agreements are ready for signing.
Good progress was made in the other two IGA negotiations.
Besides FTAs and IGAs, the IAD also advised on other economic agreements
such as double taxation agreements, as well as economic and technical
cooperation agreements.
Dispute Settlement
Work on the Pedra Branca case continued throughout the year and
culminated in oral proceedings from 6 to 23 November 2007 before the
ICJ at The Hague. IAD officers were members of the team representing
Singapore at the hearing at the ICJ. The team also comprised Deputy Prime
Minister Professor S. Jayakumar, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, AttorneyGeneral Chao Hick Tin and our Agent, Ambassador-at-Large Professor
Tommy Koh, as well as foreign counsel. The judgment of the ICJ is pending.
Intellectual Property Rights
Singapore continued to play an active role in supporting a strong intellectual
property rights system in the ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific regions. PSSC
(IAD) continued to chair the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC’s)
Intellectual Property Experts’ Group.
Negotiations with Indonesia on Boundaries, Defence Cooperation
Agreement and Extradition Treaty
Singapore and Indonesia continued with their negotiations on the
Singapore-Indonesia boundary to the south of Singapore. PSSC (IAD)
led the Singapore side for the bilateral negotiations which were held in
March and November.
IAD’s officers were extensively involved in the work relating to the Defence
Cooperation Agreement (DCA) (and related instruments) and the
Extradition Treaty with Indonesia. All these instruments, except for certain
subsidiary implementing arrangements, were completed and signed in the
presence of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong.
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Negotiations on ASEAN Charter
On 13 January 2007, Singapore together with the rest of the ASEAN Member
states, signed the Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter.
The Declaration endorsed the Report of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG)
on the ASEAN Charter and it was agreed by the Parties that the High Level
Task Force should commence the drafting of the ASEAN Charter on the
basis of the views and directives given by the Heads of State/Government at
the eleventh and twelfth ASEAN Summits, the relevant ASEAN documents
and the EPG recommendations. The High Level Task Force was directed to
complete the drafting of the ASEAN Charter in time for the thirteenth
ASEAN Summit in Singapore in November. The IAD has been helping with
the legal advice for the ASEAN Charter.
Other Work and Programmes
IAD officers also worked closely with, and rendered legal advice and
assistance to, Government agencies on a wide range of international law
matters, such as civil aviation, maritime boundaries, military cooperation,
extradition, mutual legal assistance, environmental protection, human
rights and humanitarian law and diplomatic relations. IAD officers
participated in air services agreement negotiations with several countries
including India, Belgium, Kenya, the Republic of Cyprus, Japan, Ukraine,
the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Philippines,
the United Kingdom, Canada and Slovakia.
An IAD officer was the legal expert at the first session of the United Nations
Ad Hoc Committee on Criminal Accountability of United Nations Officials
and Experts on Mission from 9 to 13 April 2007.
IAD officers were involved in the negotiations for the review of the WTO
Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), particularly in providing
policy suggestions and drafting inputs tabled during the negotiations to
address the concerns of GPA Parties over treatment of government-linked
companies and small and medium enterprises.
Legal Profession (International Services) Secretariat
The Legal Profession (International Services) Secretariat (LPS), comprising
IAD officers and staff, continued its work on the regulation of foreign
lawyers and foreign law firms in Singapore. The LPS provided policy inputs
for, and implemented, the Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2007 (Act
20/2007), which amended the Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161) (hereinafter
referred to as “the Act”), particularly Part IXA therein, and which came into
operation on 1 June 2007. The Act, together with the Legal Profession
(International Services) Rules 2007 (hereinafter referred to as “the Rules”),
are primarily intended to implement the recommendations made by the
Review Committee on the Joint Law Venture (JLV) and Formal Law Alliance
(FLA) schemes, and also by the Third Committee on the Supply of Lawyers.
The Rules came into operation on 6 July 2007.
International Law Seminar
IAD spearheaded the inaugural civil service-wide International Law Seminar,
held on 25 May 2007, with the theme “Benefiting from a Globalised World”.
The objective of the Seminar was to enable civil servants handling
international work in their Ministries and statutory boards to gain a basic
knowledge of international law concepts and principles which would be
helpful to them in their work. The Seminar, which was attended by 109
participants, was a tremendous success. A more focused seminar on
diplomatic immunity was held for a selected group of agencies on
4 October 2007.
International Law Speakers Series
IAD’s annual International Law Speakers Series (ILSS), where eminent
persons in the field of public international law are invited to speak about
interesting issues in international law, was held on 5 and 6 September 2007.
With environmental issues being in the forefront these days, our speaker
this year was Professor Edith Brown Weiss, one of the leading international
environmental law professors and the Francis Cabell Brown Professor of
International Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Professor Weiss
gave two workshops and delivered the ILSS lecture on 6 September 2007,
which was titled “Developments in the Evolution of International
Environmental Law”.
Law Reform And Revision Division
The Law Reform and Revision Division (LRRD) plays a pivotal
role in the development of law reform proposals and gives
concrete expression to two major functions of the AGC which are
the initiation of law reform and the undertaking of law revision.
The past year has been another challenging and exciting year for the LRRD
in law reform and law revision work.
Law Reform
The Committee to Develop the Singapore Legal Services Sector was
established by the Deputy Prime Minister in August 2006 to make
recommendations on how to position Singapore as a legal services hub.
The former Solicitor-General, Mr Chan Seng Onn, chaired the Legal
Services Infrastructure Working Group of the Committee. AGC officers,
including LRRD officers, assisted the Working Group and will be involved
in the drafting of legislative amendments arising from recommendations
of the Committee.
Charles Lim Aeng Cheng
LRRD officers drafted the Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2007, the
Legal Profession (International Services) Rules and amendments to the
Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, the Legal Profession Rules
and the Legal Profession (Solicitors’ Accounts) Rules. These legislation
implemented proposals of the Review Committee on Joint Law Ventures
and Formal Law Alliances and the Third Committee on the Supply of
Lawyers, amended provisions on unauthorised practice as an advocate and
solicitor and tightened the rules relating to signatories of client accounts.
The Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2007 came into operation on 1 June
2007 except for s 24(1) on the repeal of s 137 of the Legal Profession Act
(Cap. 161), which was brought into force on 1 April 2007.
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The LRRD officers also drafted the Legal Profession (Limited Liability
Partnership) Rules 2006 which regulate the establishment of limited
liability law partnerships.
LRRD drafted the Charities (Amendment) Act 2007 (Cap. 37) and various
Charities Regulations to provide additional powers to the Commissioner
of Charities and to strengthen the regime of governance and accountability
in the charity sector. The Charities (Amendment) Act 2007 came into
operation on 1 March 2007. Some of the Charities Regulations came into
force on 1 March 2007 and others on 1 May 2007.
Pursuant to the joint Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)AGC law reform project on the control of spam in Singapore, the Spam
Control Act 2007 (Act 21 of 2007) drafted by LRRD came into operation on
15 June 2007. The Act provides for the control of spam, which is unsolicited
commercial communications sent in bulk by electronic mail or by text or
multi-media messaging to mobile telephone numbers. The LRRD also
rendered legal advice to the Ministry of Information, Communications and
the Arts (MICA) and IDA on the Bill and provided legal assistance to MICA
during Parliamentary debates.
The LRRD worked with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the review
of sexual offences in the Penal Code (Cap. 224). The LRRD drafted the
proposed amendments to the sexual offences provisions in the Penal Code,
and related amendments to the Women’s Charter and the Children and
Young Persons Act and other affected legislation. The LRRD also provided
legal advice and policy input on the review to MHA, and advised MHA on
the responses to the consolidated feedback received from the public
consultation exercise. The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill was passed by
Parliament on 23 October 2007.
The LRRD performed legal research and provided legal advice to the
Ministry of Law on the legislation to create committees of inquiry, and
drafted the proposed omnibus Inquiries Bill. The Inquiries Bill was
introduced in Parliament on 27 August 2007. The Inquiries Act 2007
came into operation on 1 November 2007.
LRRD officers worked with the Law Reform Committee and the Technology
Law Development Group of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) on
proposed amendments to the Evidence Act (Cap. 97). LRRD officers
drafted the proposed amendments to the Evidence Act to give effect to
the recommendations of –
(a) the Technology Law Development Group of the SAL in its
Consultation Paper “Computer Output as Evidence”, September 2003
and the Final Report, December 2004;
(b) the Law Reform Committee of the SAL in its report on “Admissibility
of Hearsay Evidence in Civil Proceedings”, 2004; and
(c) the Law Reform Committee of the SAL in its report on the “Review of
the Parol Evidence Rule”, 2006.
The LRRD’s report on “Court-Appointed Referees” was referred by the
Honourable Chief Justice to an ad hoc Sub-Committee of the Professional
Affairs Committee (PAC) of the SAL. The Sub-Committee was established
to consider whether the courts should be empowered to appoint technical
experts as referees to determine questions of fact of a technical nature.
LRRD was involved in the drafting of the Sub-Committee Report on CourtAppointed Referees.
The LRRD was involved in the review of the Article 95 reservation to the
UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. A public
consultation was conducted from 20 June to 31 August 2007 as to whether
the reservation should be withdrawn.
The LRRD worked closely with the Law Reform Committee of the SAL on
the review of the Limitation Act (Cap. 163). PSSC (LRRD) chaired the law
reform sub-committee which finalised the Law Reform Committee report
and drafted the proposed amendments to the Limitation Act to give effect
to the Law Reform Committee’s recommendations.
The LRRD also worked closely with the Law Reform Committee on the
proposed Powers of Attorney Act. PSSC (LRRD) chaired the law reform subcommittee, comprising both public officers and private practitioners, which
undertook a comparative study of the powers of attorney legislation in other
common law jurisdictions and recommended the enactment of a new Powers
of Attorney Act for Singapore.
PSSC (LRRD) was appointed a member of the Advisory Council on the
Impact of New Media Society (AIMS) and Chairman of a Working Group
to study the Regulatory Response to the New Media.
The LRRD provided legal advice to the Data Protection Committee,
chaired by MICA, and to other ministries on issues relating to data
protection and the sharing of information among Government agencies.
Law Revision
The LRRD’s other role is to assist the Law Revision Commissioners in
revising the legislation of Singapore to update it and to make it more
user-friendly. New and heavily amended Acts are revised 4 times a year.
Subsidiary legislation are revised quarterly or at such intervals as
determined by the Law Revision Commissioners.
Among the Acts revised in 2007 were the Supreme Court of Judicature
Act (Cap. 322), the Subordinate Courts Act (Cap. 321), the Immigration
Act (Cap. 133) and the Charities Act (Cap. 37). A revised edition of the
Companies Act was published in October 2006. Subsidiary legislation
revised in 2007 include those made under the Limited Liability Partnerships
Act (Cap. 163A), the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36) and the Financial
Advisers Act (Cap. 110).
As at 31 December 2007, LRRD had published revised editions of 16 Acts
(1,574 pages) and 937 pages of subsidiary legislation, and an updated
Subject Index to Acts and Subject Index to subsidiary legislation.
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Other Highlights
On 16 March 2007, the LRRD conducted a corporate training and bonding
session at the Civil Service Club. The session started with a keynote address
by PSSC (LRRD), followed by a presentation and discussion on the strategic
directions for law reform and law revision work for FY2007. As part of our
team building and cohesion programme, LRRD officers and staff
participated in an energetic bhangra aerobic exercise led by an external
trainer. This was followed by an enlightening talk on back care by an
external speaker and finally a satisfying dinner to end a meaningful session.
The LRRD, with the Legislation Division, organised a course on legislative
drafting and law reform from 21 to 23 March 2007. The speakers for the
3-day course were Dato’ Mary Lim Thiam Suan, the Commissioner of Law
Revision and Law Reform of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysia,
and Mr Paul Salembier, Legislative Counsel of the Department of Justice,
Canada. Four legal officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers of
Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia also attended the course.
In 2007, LRRD officers were actively involved in the requirement studies
for the legislative drafting and publishing system – Legislation Editing
and Authentic Publishing system (LEAP) and electronic case management
system – Enterprise Legal Management System (ELMS).
The Legislation Division is responsible for the drafting of
laws to implement Government policies and to give effect
to Parliamentary intention. It also renders legal support to
the Government in its policy formulation and promotes a fair
and responsive legal system in Singapore through an effective and equitable
legislative framework.
Significant Legislation
Restructuring the Legal Service Commission
In April 2006, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law informed
Parliament that the Legal Service Commission (LSC) will be restructured
to make it more robust and responsive in attracting, managing and
developing talent in the Singapore Legal Service. A Legal Service
Personnel Management Review Panel was formed in April 2006 to
undertake a review of the LSC. The Constitution was amended in July 2007
to implement the Panel’s recommendations. The amendments included
the expansion of the membership of LSC and the establishment of
autonomous Personnel Boards to exercise specified powers of the LSC.
Ter Kim Cheu
National security, terrorism and international crimes
Several pieces of legislation were enacted in 2007 which augmented
Singapore’s commitment to managing evolving threats to national security
and, as part of the international community, suppressing terrorism and
other international criminal activities. These included the Singapore Armed
Forces (Amendment) Act (Cap. 295) (establishing a legal framework for the
SAF to aid civil authorities through aerial, maritime and land security
operations), the Terrorism (Suppression of Bombings) Act (Act 50 of
2007) (enabling the ratification of the International Convention for the
Suppression of Terrorist Bombings) and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking
and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment)
Act (Cap. 65A) (strengthening measures against money laundering and
terrorism financing activities).
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Implementing Singapore’s international obligations
Laws were also enacted to implement Singapore’s various other international
obligations. The Carriage by Air (Montreal Convention, 1999) Act (Act 41 of
2007), passed in August 2007, gives effect to the provisions of the Montreal
Convention, 1999. The Convention modernises the rules relating to
international carriage by air of passengers, baggage and cargo, particularly
as regards the liability of airlines for the deaths of, or injuries, sustained by
passengers.
Revenue laws
The Income Tax Act (Cap. 134) was amended in January and November
2007 to implement the income tax changes announced in the 2006 and 2007
Budget Statements and to improve tax administration.
The Goods and Services Act (Cap. 117A) was amended in May 2007 to
implement the GST rate increase from 5% to 7%, promote Shariahcompliant financial activities through GST exemption and improve the
GST system.
As a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
Singapore signed the Additional Protocol of the Comprehensive Safeguards
Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency in September
2005. The Radiation Protection Act (Cap. 262) was passed in May 2007 to
enable Singapore to ratify the Additional Protocol and to enhance domestic
regulation relating to nuclear safety and security.
The Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) Act (Cap. 86)
was amended in February 2007 to extend the investment allowance incentive
to aircraft rotables used by the aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul
industry in Singapore.
In October 2007, the Geneva Conventions Act (Cap. 117) was amended to
facilitate the ratification of the Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva
Conventions. The Third Additional Protocol recognises the Red Crystal,
designed to be devoid of any religious connotation, as a universal symbol
conferring protection on authorised emergency relief agencies.
Land matters
The year 2007 saw significant changes being made to legislation relating
to land. These included the amendments to the Land Acquisition Act
(Cap. 152) in April 2007 to apply the market value of land as at the date
of its acquisition as the basis for compensation, and the amendments to
the Land Titles (Strata) Act (Cap. 158) in September 2007 to implement
additional safeguards and greater transparency in en-bloc sales.
The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks was adopted during
a diplomatic conference organised by the World Intellectual Property
Organisation in Singapore in March 2006. The Treaty creates a framework
for better harmonisation of trademark registration procedures, recognises
non-traditional visible marks (such as holograms) and non-visible marks
(such as sound marks), and facilitates electronic communications with
national trademark offices. The Trade Marks Act (Cap. 332) was amended
in January 2007 to facilitate the ratification of the Treaty and to bring
greater flexibility to businesses in the registration and management of
their trademarks.
Employment and CPF related issues
In May 2007, the Employment of Foreign Workers Act (Cap. 91A) (renamed
as the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act) was amended to introduce
stiffer measures against illegal employment of foreigners and to consolidate
and rationalise the various laws applicable to the employment of foreigners.
The Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36) was amended in August and
November 2007 to expand the CPF Minimum Sum Topping-Up Scheme,
facilitate an equitable distribution of CPF monies in a divorce, deter
manipulative transactions under the CPF Investment Scheme, implement
changes in the CPF interest rate framework, establish the Workfare Income
Supplement Scheme and enable insured members to claim for organ
procurement costs under the Medishield Scheme.
Review of Penal Code
The Legislation Division was involved in the comprehensive review of
the Penal Code and collaborated with the LRRD in drafting the Penal
Code (Amendment) Act (Cap. 224). The Act was passed by Parliament
on 23 October 2007.
Regulation of key sectors
The Banking Act (Cap. 19) was amended in January 2007 to strengthen
prudential safeguards in the banking industry, facilitate risk-based
supervision of banks and enable the regulator to take preventive or
effective measures in relation to distressed banks.
The Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161) was amended in April 2007 to
implement the recommendations of the Review Committee formed to
evaluate the Joint Law Venture and Formal Law Alliance schemes, and
the recommendations of the Third Committee on the Supply of Lawyers.
The amendments promote the recruitment and retention of foreign legal
talent necessary for the growth of Singapore’s legal sector, enhance penalties
for disciplinary offences and require lawyers to acquire relevant skills before
managing a law practice.
The Gas Act (Cap. 116A) was amended in May 2007 to ensure that new
entrants into the gas market are able to access gas pipelines and other gas
infrastructure without discrimination, to enhance the security and reliability
of the supply of gas and to provide for alternative sources of gas supply.
The Competition Act (Cap. 50B) was amended in May 2007 to improve the
competition regime on mergers and align it with international best
practices.
The Postal Services Act (Cap. 237A) was amended in July 2007 to liberalise
and foster competition within the postal sector and to enable the regulator
to control mergers and acquisitions involving designated postal licensees.
The Building Control Act (Cap. 29) was amended in September 2007 to
raise the standards of work in the construction industry, regulate major
underground building works and ensure continued adherence to disabilityrelated requirements for buildings.
Several legislation relating to the health and biomedical sector were
introduced in 2007. These included the National Registry of Diseases Act
(Act 56 of 2007) (requiring the mandatory reporting of specified diseases
by healthcare institutions), the Health Products Act (Act 15 of 2007)
(regulating the manufacture, import and supply of healthcare products)
and the Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Act (Cap. 131A)
(to include Muslims under the presumed consent framework for organ
transplantation). To enhance the regulation of healthcare professionals,
the Dentists (Amendment) Act (Cap. 76), Pharmacists Registration Act
(Cap. 230) and Optometrists and Opticians Act (Act 36 of 2007) were
also enacted.
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Other Work and Programmes
The Legislation Division also assists the Government with policy formulation
through participation in Inter-Ministry Committees (IMCs) and other
project committees. These committees include the IMC on terrorism, IMC
on mental capacity, IMC on problems posed by persons sleeping in public
places and a project committee on the unique establishment identifier.
In May 2007, the Singapore Co-operation Enterprise and the Qatar
Government signed an agreement for the procurement of public sector
expertise from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in the restructuring of
the policies and systems in the Qatar Ministry of Finance. The Legislation
Division is involved in drafting legislation to implement MOF’s
recommendations.
The Legislation Division also participated in the 2007 assessment
conducted by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering
on Singapore’s implementation of anti-money laundering and counterterrorist fi nancing standards.
The Legislation Division has remained active in conducting courses to
sensitise public officers to legislation-related issues. Our annual Legislative
Drafting Course was well received this year and attracted both overseas and
local participants. Other training provided by Legislation Division officers
in 2007 included a course on policy and legislation for the Ministry of Home
Affairs and a briefing to public officers on laws relating to emergency and
crisis management.
The Legislation Division also supports the continuing education of its
officers. This year, we invited Mr Paul Selembier, General Counsel with the
Canadian Department of Justice and author of Regulatory Law and Practice
in Canada, to conduct a 3-day workshop on regulatory law. In April 2007,
an officer from the Legislation Division attended a study trip to the United
Kingdom, sponsored by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, to study
the principle-based approach to regulating financial institutions in the
United Kingdom.
An officer from the Legislation Division attended the Meeting of the Senior
Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries in October 2007 as part of the
Singapore Delegation, and rendered assistance on legislation-related and
other legal issues.
Support Divisions
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CORE VALUES
The Rule of Law
A Just Legal System
Integrity & Impartiality
Competence & Professionalism
Teamwork & Co-operation
The Public Interest
The Corporate Services Division (CSD) provides support
in Financial Administration, Budget Control,
Office Administration, Personnel Administration
and Human Resource Development.
Investment in Our Quality Management System
The CSD first attained the prestigious ISO certification on 17 February 2003.
Under the ISO 9000 framework, certified organisations are required to
undergo six-monthly surveillance audits and a re-certification exercise
every three years to ensure that the organisation is continually practising
and enhancing the ISO Quality Management System.
In March 2006, the CSD oversaw the achievement of PSB ISO 9000
certification for AGC. This certification is valid from Financial Years 2006 to
2008, subject to passing the annual re-certification audits. In February 2007,
we successfully achieved our re-certification for Financial Year 2006. In the
last quarter of 2007, we underwent another re-certification audit for
Financial Year 2007.
Consolidation of Shared Services
At MOF’s initiation, the CSD successfully worked towards handing over
selected steps of some routine human resource and payroll processes to
Vital.org in May 2007. With this, the CSD is currently reviewing its ISO and
work processes which have been affected by the handover. The CSD will be
working closely with Vital.org to ensure that AGC’s objectives under this
outsourcing arrangement will be met.
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Finance Management Unit
The AGC’s Finance Management Unit (FMU) consists of 2 graduate Officers
and 2 support staff.
Office Management Unit
The AGC’s Office Management Unit (OMU) consists of 1 Management
Support Officer and 1 Corporate Support Officer.
The FMU has successfully implemented the partial block budget system
for AGC in Financial Year 2006. Under this system, AGC is allocated a
percentage of Singapore’s GDP as budget for its operating and development
expenditure and continues to be funded separately for some items, including
statutory expenditure and legal fees. AGC has greater flexibility in allocating
resources and channelling budget savings. The FMU will continue to refine
AGC’s budget framework with MOF.
The OMU aims to provide all officers in AGC with excellent general office
services and to streamline all work processes so as to develop a more flexible
and effective system.
During the April to June period for both 2006 and 2007, the FMU
underwent three annual audits – Audit of Financial Statements by the
Auditor-General’s Office, Resource Accounts Audit by Ernst & Young,
and Net Economic Value (NEV) Statement Audit by the AccountantGeneral’s Department. No audit issues were highlighted by our auditors.
In early 2007, the FMU established a distribution framework for the
Productivity Savings Awards (PSA) payout for the AGC. A government
agency is entitled to make this payment if it has achieved both savings
in its annual cash budget and year-on-year improvement in its NEV result.
The AGC met both criteria for FY2006 and as such made our first payment
to all employees of the AGC in March 2007.
Another major project which the FMU is actively involved in is the office
relocation project.
As part of the new initiatives, the OMU has streamlined one of its
work processes by tapping on the existing functions of the KM Portal.
OMU, together with the Computer Information Systems Department
(CISD), designed and developed the “AGC Overseas Travel Electronic
Form”. All AGC officers who are scheduled to travel overseas for meetings,
work assignments, courses, etc., are now required to input all relevant
details pertaining to their overseas trips and personal information into
these newly designed travel forms electronically via the KM Portal.
This new system replaces the manual consolidation of information for
submission to insurance companies. With the implementation of such an
electronic form, OMU is now able to submit all officers’ travel details and
personal information promptly to the appropriate insurance companies to
insure the period of their travel.
In view of rising office rental rates in the city area, the AGC is exploring
alternative sites for our office. The FMU and the OMU are working closely
together with representatives from various divisions on the office
relocation project.
Human Resource Development Unit
Human capital management and development are seen as a key function
in the AGC to ensure that our officers contribute effectively to the
organisation.
Training has always played a key role in our continuous efforts to enhance
the quality of our legal advice, prosecution, legislative drafting, law reform
and revision.
As part of the AGC’s commitment towards developing and training its
officers, the decision was taken to benchmark AGC’s human resource
development against the People Developer Standard (PDS). Significant
measures were taken to streamline AGC’s human resource systems which
included the setting up of the Human Resource Development Unit (HRDU),
dedicated towards training and people development.
Achieving the PDS clearly recognises AGC as a forward-looking
organisation, with a strong training and development culture as a key
tenet of our human resource management philosophy.
To incorporate the best practices in training in the automation of the
training administration system, a government-wide online one-stop training
system known as Learning@GOV was implemented as one of
the business re-engineering projects, in collaboration with the Centre
of Shared Services and the rest of the ministries and departments.
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Personnel Management Unit
The Personnel Management Unit (PMU) consists of 2 Management
Executives and 1 support staff. The PMU aims to provide effective personnel
administration to AGC’s 250 officers.
The duties that the PMU performs include: carrying out the annual ranking
and appraisal exercise; effecting officers’ bonuses; effecting officers’
postings; providing statistical reports; managing personnel records;
processing the National Day Awards; meeting union representatives to
discuss staff issues; processing various ad-hoc requests for No-Pay /
Unrecorded Leave etc.
In addition, the PMU reviews various internal policies and schemes. For
instance, the PMU successfully sought the Public Service Division’s approval
for advocacy allowance to be paid to its Assistant Public Prosecutors.
The PMU helps to administer internal and external feedback systems,
where feedback is gathered and forwarded to the relevant officers for
consideration. For example, internal customers may provide feedback
through an internal feedback system in the KM Portal, while external
customers may give feedback by completing the feedback forms provided
and placing them in the designated feedback boxes. The PMU keeps track
of the feedback to ensure that none is left unconsidered.
To ensure that the CSD’s circulars are valid and updated regularly,
the PMU administers a CSD Circular Review system in the KM Portal.
Within this system, each circular is given a review date. On the review date,
the system will send out an email to notify the respective officer-in-charge
to review the circular and to update the contents or to make the circular
obsolete.
The PMU will also be initiating efforts to create an employee handbook
which would serve as a quick and easy-to-use reference guide for AGC
officers. The intention is to help officers quickly locate the relevant policies
on matters such as leave, car-parking and external activities. This will reduce
demands on the CSD in answering routine queries and reduce confusion
faced by officers in reading the many internal circulars, external circulars
and Government Instruction Manuals.
A new Information Division was established on 2 July 2007
through the merger of the Computer Information Systems
Department (CISD), Library and the Knowledge Management
Committee, with the following mission:
To help AGC provide effective legal services through
the use of IT and management of knowledge assets.
The merger integrates these 3 groups to improve synergy and reduce the
duplication of resources through closer co-ordination, more streamlined
planning and decision-making processes and greater flexibility in terms of
manpower deployment and utilisation of funds.
The Organisational Chart of the new Division is as follows:
AG
SG
INFORMATION DIVISION
CIO/Divisional Director
Directors and Assistant Directors (LSOs)
CISD
1. MCIO officers (IDA)
2. Outsourced service
providers (e.g. HP)
KM Central
KM Executive
(vacant)
Library
1. Librarian (NLB)
2. Library Technicians
(NLB)
Common Pool - Support Staff (CSOs/OSOs)
The Division is headed by Mr Charles Lim, assisted by Director (Information
Systems) Mr Lee Chuan Huei, Director (Knowledge Management)
Mrs Joyce Chao, and Director (Library) Mr Eric Chin. 14 Assistant Directors
(Information Division) (AD(ID)) have been appointed and will be deployed
to support AGC’s KM, Information Technology (IT) and Library initiatives.
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The new Information Division page on S A-G E was launched on
23 October 2007 at an inaugural meeting cum tea attended by members
of the Information Division. A centralised fi le registry for the new
Information Division has also been established. The Division has launched
a new in-house electronic publication, iDeas, to replace K-Mine and Library
News, the existing publications of the KM Committee and the Library,
respectively, within the AGC Gazette.
CISD
The CISD continues to be responsible for the planning, provision and
maintenance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
solutions for AGC. The CISD also spearheads IT initiatives to improve
the productivity and quality of the work output of AGC.
An ICT Steering Committee (ICTSC) oversees the work of the CISD for
the purposes of aligning it to AGC’s business needs. Since 2006, KM plans
and initiatives have also been reported at ICTSC. The Solicitor-General,
Professor Walter Woon took over the leadership of the ICTSC from the
former Solicitor-General Mr Chan Seng Onn in March 2007. Members
of the ICTSC include AGC’s Chief Information Officer Mr Charles Lim,
Director (Information System) Lee Chuan Huei, and management
representatives from various legal and support divisions in Chambers.
AGC IT Plan
In 2006, MOF approved AGC’s 3 Year IT Plan which identified several IT
projects to be carried out between 2006 and 2008 to enhance the business
capabilities of AGC. The CISD is responsible for carrying out these projects
with Divisional representatives. Descriptions of the projects and their
progress are set out below:
Legislation Editing and Authentic Publishing (LEAP)
When completed, LEAP will replace the existing legislation database
known as the Versioned Legislation Database (VLDB) system. Unlike
its predecessor, LEAP will electronically manage the entire life-cycle
of legislation from document creation to record publishing using an
intuitive drafting environment. It will also have better versioning and
search features, and will enable the delivery of authoritative copies of
Singapore legislation online.
The LEAP Steering Committee, comprising members from the
Legislation Division and the LRRD, is responsible for the development
and implementation of the LEAP project.
Phase 1 of the project, the consultancy stage, aims to establish a data model
for the system and a strategy for migrating the contents of VLDB to the
LEAP system. A tender was called and the project was awarded in December
2006. The LEAP Steering Committee, together with the consultants,
conducted extensive studies of work practices and consultations with
stakeholders. Phase 1 was completed in May 2007 with the development of
a draft DTD (Document Type Definition) and prototype. CISD is preparing
the tender for the next phase of LEAP. LEAP is scheduled to be completed
by the end of 2008.
Knowledge Management Next Phase (KMNP)
The KMNP project aims to improve the search, upload and other functions
of our knowledge management portal (S A-G E), including the following:
a)
Enterprise Search Engine
A powerful search engine will be installed to allow officers to search
across multiple repositories and databases with advanced search
capabilities, such as conceptual search, auto-clustering of search
results and personalisation technologies to help deliver information
according to an officer’s interests.
b)
Desktop Search
New desktop search facilities will allow an officer to search files
on his or her local hard disk, network drive and email archives.
c)
Automated Taxonomy Classifier
To encourage greater sharing of information through S A-G E,
the automated taxonomy classifier will simplify the tagging of
documents by suggesting the most relevant keywords.
d)
Other Features
A Wiki tool will enhance collaboration amongst AGC officers.
Users will also be able to customise homepages for the needs
of different user groups and save valuable emails on S A-G E.
An open tender was called for the implementation of the Automated
Taxonomy Classifier, Enterprise Search Engine and Desktop Search.
The tender was awarded in June 2007. The project is expected to be
implemented by end 2007.
Enterprise Legal Management System (ELMS)
ELMS aims to automate the process of managing, approving and storing
documents in AGC, and to provide AGC officers with secure access from
any location to an integrated electronic view of all relevant information
relating to work fi les.
CISD worked with a vendor to develop a mock-up system for ELMS,
integrating it with technologies such as the Digital Pen.
In March 2007, ICTSC approved the implementation of ELMS across
all Divisions in AGC. An ELMS working committee, is conducting
a requirement study with the Divisions. The project is scheduled
to be completed by early 2009.
Other IT Projects
Besides carrying out the IT Plan, CISD was involved in a number of other
IT projects:
Launch of AGC Intranet Website
A new AGC Intranet Website was developed and launched on 5 March 2007.
This new website provides a single point of access to information provided
by AGC to Ministries and statutory boards. Content management tools allow
content owners to edit and update content easily and quickly.
The project was the result of months of hard work by the divisional
representatives.
Justice Online 2 (JOL2)
The new JOL 2 was commissioned and implemented in January 2007 by
AGC and the Courts. A key feature of JOL2 is the ability to conduct video
conferencing via web cameras and portable microphones.
Multi Functional Printers (MFPs)
Since 2006, CISD has begun replacing AGC’s aging copiers and printers
with MFPs, which are all-in-one machines with photocopying, faxing,
scanning and printing functions. CISD is also exploring the use of MFPs
to enable users to scan documents directly into S A-G E and the proposed
ELMS.
annual report 06/07
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49
Standard ICT Operating Environment (SOE)
The SOE programme is a public sector-wide initiative to consolidate and
homogenise IT hardware and network environments across all Government
agencies. The tender for SOE was called by IDA on 26 April 2007.
CISD is working closely with IDA to ensure that AGC’s business operations
will be taken into account by tenderers for SOE.
AGC is likely to start its transition to SOE in 2008. CISD is also in the
process of migrating more than 40 Lotus Notes-based applications to
web-based platforms to facilitate the transition.
AGC’s Computing Environment
In 2007, CISD undertook the following measures to make working in the
electronic environment more secure and convenient in AGC:
•
the installation of a more robust anti-spam filter in the electronic
mail system;
•
the encryption of all notebooks with Compusec encryption;
•
regular scanning of systems when logged onto the local area
network in order to protect against cyber attacks;
•
providing remote access to emails via GATE2 VPN;
•
enabling wireless surfing in all AGC meeting rooms; and
•
progressive upgrading of memory space of desktops.
Knowledge Management
The KM Committee was dissolved with the establishment of the
Information Division. AGC’s KM initiatives will continue apace,
under the oversight of Director (KM), with the assistance of
Information Division officers and Divisional KM Leaders.
S A-G E Enhancements
Enhancements continue to be made to S A-G E, with more links to research
materials added under the Legal Matters pull-down menu, e.g. GLRU,
Legal Updates, Singapore Law Website, CIVOPs Search Portlet, links to
GLRU, Legal Updates, Singapore Law Website, CLOUT and the SAL
Digital Library. SAL’s upgraded LAWNET 2 was also made available via
S A-G E.
Committee WebPages
Since 2006, in collaboration with the SQA Committee and CISD,
Committee WebPages have been rolled out to provide committee members
with an efficient means of disseminating and retrieving information.
Currently, there are more than 30 Committee WebPages and Divisional
WebPages in operation. A total of 22 committee administrators from 16
different committees have attended the “KM Training for Committee
Administrators” conducted by CISD. Animated guides, available on S A-G E,
provide users with a step-by-step guide to perform necessary tasks.
Sharing and Learning with External Agencies
In 2006, AGC participated in a survey leading to the Public Service Centre
for Organisational Excellence (PSCOE) assessment of the “Knowledge
Management Climate” of 8 Singapore Government agencies, which
highlighted exemplary practices and identified opportunities for
enhancement in the various agencies. KM sharing sessions were also
held with various Singapore agencies and KM briefi ngs were conducted
for various foreign delegations visiting AGC.
Library
In March 2007, AGC bade farewell to Ms Mary Ho, who served as AGC’s
Librarian since 1997, and welcomed a new Librarian, Ms Joanna Tan. With
the dissolution of the Library Committee, 5 AD(ID) have been appointed
to assist Director (Library) in Library matters.
annual report 06/07
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51
Collection
The Library drafted a new textbook acquisition framework to ensure that
it keeps up to date with the core collection and rigorously reviews new titles
before purchase. At the same time, a more systematic process has been put
in place to compile information on forthcoming titles. This will allow for a
better projection of expenditure on textbooks. As the price increases of
legal materials has averaged about 10% per year, divisions were also asked
to review the list of subscription titles in the 4th quarter in order to ensure
that we only maintain subscriptions for titles that continue to be relevant
to our work.
Since June, a network of 12 Libraries, including NUS and SMU, have begun
to levy a fee of S$10 per item for interlibrary loans or renewals. This has
restricted our use of inter-library loan and renewal arrangements, in
particular with NUS.
Studio@AGC Workshop
In early 2007, 15 Legal Officers and all library staff took part in a one
day workshop on Library transformation which was facilitated by
INVENT@NLB. Prior to the workshop, a survey of library users was
conducted to gather perceptions and views of the Library, including its
collection, physical/social space, physical location, AGC research culture
and information search behaviour. The workshop proved to be very useful
as the participants brainstormed ideas and solutions to address issues faced
by the Library.
Generic Email Account for the Library
In August 2007, the Library launched a generic email account to provide
users with the convenience of a single point of email contact. Library users
no longer need to know who to contact with their requests or queries. They
are also assured that incoming mail will be answered on a daily basis.
Requests for Permission to Reproduce Legislation
The Library now handles all requests for permission to reproduce
legislation under a new streamlined procedure implemented during
the second half of 2007 to facilitate follow up action by the Library.
Service
In the past, reservations were usually permitted only if an item was out on
loan. An enhanced reservation service was put in place so that library users
are now able to reserve on-shelf items via phone or email. They can also
request that the item be delivered to their offices. Reservation forms have
also been made available at the counter.
To create awareness of the resources available in the library, 2 regular
broadcast announcements on S A-G E were conceived and launched in
May 2007. “High-five” highlights 5 titles to create greater awareness of
books in the Library collection, while Plus announcements keep users
informed of recent additions to the collection.
Training
Two sessions of Lexis Nexis database training and Online Library
Catalogue briefing were organised for the year. These twice yearly
sessions remain useful to new users seeking to get acquainted with
the online databases available in AGC.
Second Annual Event Of The Attorney-General’s Chambers
Of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia And Singapore
The Second Annual Event of the Attorney-General’s Chambers
(AGCs) of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore was held
in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia from 19 to 21 April 2007.
The Event was attended by more than 130 delegates from the
three AGCs. The Singapore delegates, comprising legal service officers from
AGC, MinLaw, MINDEF, MHA and MOE, were led by Attorney-General
Chao Hick Tin.
The programme began with a warm welcome extended by the AttorneyGeneral of Malaysia. This was followed by workshops covering the following
topics which were of common interest to the three AGCs:
The Official Ceremony, which took place on 21 April 2007, was graced
by the Right Honourable Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak,
the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. Also present were the Chief Minister
of Sabah, the two Deputy Chief Ministers and Federal and State officials.
A multimedia presentation (available at http://www.agc.gov.my/agc/agc/
rev/agcjc/AGCJC_Sabah.swf) specially commissioned and produced for
the occasion by AGC Malaysia was screened to the surprise and delight of
the participants from the other two AGCs.
(a)
Asset Recovery and Management of Proceeds of Crime, chaired
by Y.Bhg. Dato’ Idrus Harun, the Solicitor-General of Malaysia;
The Event concluded with an official Gala Dinner, during which the
participants were treated to entertainment by the Kinabalu Bamboo Music
Orchestra and a cultural extravaganza of traditional dances. This was
followed by performances by the AGC officers of each country, including our
very own AGC Idol, Deputy Senior State Counsel David Lim.
(b)
Discipline and Conduct of Civil Servants, chaired by the
Honourable Dato Seri Paduka Haji Kifrawi bin Dato Paduka Haji
Kifli, the Attorney-General of Brunei Darussalam;
The Third Annual Event will be hosted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers
of Brunei Darussalam in April 2008.
(c)
Challenges in Drafting / Law Reform, chaired by Y.Bhg. Datin
Zaleha binti Yusof, the Parliamentary Draftsman
of Malaysia;
(d)
Negotiating FTAs – Lessons Learnt, chaired by our
Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin; and
(e)
Contemporary Rights of Women and Children, chaired by
the Honourable Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Attorney-General
of Malaysia.
The programme was a balanced one. It included team building activities
which undoubtedly helped to bring out the best in the participants and
to facilitate greater interaction among the officers of the three AGCs.
Provision was also made for sightseeing, shopping and a visit to the
Monsopiad Cultural Village, which was appreciated by the Singapore
participants, many of whom were visiting Kota Kinabalu for the first time.
All this, as well as the thoughtfulness and care of our Malaysian hosts,
made the Event a memorable one for the Singapore participants.
annual report 06/07
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53
Appreciation Lunch for Former Solicitor-General
Chan Seng Onn
Former Solicitor-General Chan Seng Onn is known for his big
appetite and love of home-cooked food. The family spirit he
nurtured as the Solicitor-General became evident when it was
announced he would leave AGC to be a High Court Judge. Plans
to hold a farewell meal at a superior restaurant never took off as officers and
staff voluntarily insisted on whipping up their specialty for Solicitor-General
Chan’s savouring. So it was that a makan kecil would be held in honour of the
man who, among other things, inspired AGC to obtain the People’s
Developer Award and the Singapore Quality Class.
As the day drew nearer, officers and staff from all Divisions worked tirelessly
to give SG Chan an unforgetable kampung send-off. Quality white full-back
plastic chairs were rented and tables were borrowed from the Supreme
Court, with the kind assistance of a number of young male CJD colleagues,
led by our very own Bernard and Samsiya of CSD. Ricky resourcefully
provided a stylish backdrop at the main reception area outside AG’s office.
The reception area was transformed into a T-shaped theatrette with seating
capacity for 100 and standing room for more, complete with a raised stage
and microphone.
Our in-house chefs spared no effort in obtaining the freshest ingredients
for their creations. The delicious food was laid out on the Braddell Room
Conference Table which had been adorned with fresh banana leaves. So
much food was brought for the occasion that two other serving points were
set up in the corridor outside. Meanwhile, Deena and Jeyendran practised
their compere roles, as did the adhoc choir.
On the day itself, 29 June 2007, an LSC meeting conveniently ushered
Solicitor-General Chan out of the way. Officers and staff worked to
transform the area and lay out the food. The calmness as they worked
overshadowed their real concern, as there was no telling how the event
would turn out since this would be the first time a farewell makan kecil
(besar) was held in-house. Be that as it may, the kampung spirit never
faltered and every helping hand or foot within talking distance rallied
round to offer help. Even Attorney-General’s guard Mr Razali helped
by directing the caterers and the chair supplier.
Deena and Jeyandran started proceedings by welcoming all to the event.
They put up a good show with their witty performance with the gathering
of AGC officers and staff often roaring in laughter. Next came
a performance by the adhoc choir singing out Solicitor-General Chan’s
journeys to and from AGC over the year to the tune of “It’s a Small World
After All”. The Attorney-General then gave a speech honouring SG Chan’s
invaluable services to AGC and presented Solicitor-General Chan with
a token of our appreciation. Solicitor-General Chan then thanked everyone
for all the effort in preparing for the event and reminisced about his years
in AGC.
The lunch that followed was unforgettable and words cannot describe
the variety and quality of the food. Many took second, third and fourth
helpings. As many hands make light work, the clean up was a breeze,
and it was business as usual before 2.30pm.
AGC Dinner and Dance 2007
annual report 06/07
Visits and Events
54
55
Visits and Events
annual report 06/07
Visits and Events
56
57
Visits and Events
annual report 06/07
58
59
Awards
National Day Awards
Lawrence Ang Boon Kong
Irene Ng Ai Ling
The Public Administration Medal (Gold)
The Efficiency Medal
David Khoo Kim Leng
Gay Meng Choo
The Public Administration Medal (Bronze)
The Long Service Medal
Deena bte Abdul Aziz Bajrai
Junainah bte Walet
The Commendation Medal
The Long Service Medal
Long Service Awards
10 Years
Eugene Kwang Yew Choon
Jeanne Lee Ming En
Maslinah bte Husain Khan
Jenny Neoh Kim Choo
Ravneet Kaur
Sarini bte Mohd Yasar
Tang Wee Ling
Teh Hwee Hwee
15 Years
Winston Cheng Howe Ming
Eric Chin
Hamidah bte Umar
Daphne Hong Fan Sin
David Khoo Kim Leng
Lim Jit Hee
Low Cheong Yeow
Sivapackiam d/o Thandayutham
Kessler Soh Boon Leng
20 Years
David Lim Hock Choon
John Ng
Soh Tze Bian
Jenny Tan
25 Years
Gay Meng Choo
35 Years
Audrey Wong Kwai Choo
Yvette C Rodrigues
Performance Indicators
Finance
ACCOUNTS
1. Legal Cost
2. Rental of Office Premises
3. Maintenance Expenses
4. Training, Welfare and Public Relations
Local Training Courses, Workshops & Seminars
Overseas Travel
Staff Recreation and Welfare
Staff Suggestion and Productivity Schemes
Entertainment
Visits of VIPs and Experts
Conference and Ceremonies
Advertising
5. Support Services
Office Supplies
Other Supplies
Transport Claims
Public Utilities
Telecommunications
Awards to Staff
Mail Delivery
Computer Services
Annual Report and Publications
Other Professional Services
Other Services
Healthy Lifestyle and MFE
Dental and Medical Subsidy
Purchase of Equipment
Educational Transfers
Subvention to Other UN Organisation
6. Expenditure on Manpower
Legal and Support Services
Statutory Expenditure
7. Direct Development
FY 06 BUDGET
FY 06 ACTUAL
4,812,180
2,970,150
456,550
816,350
366, 000
380,000
24,500
7,000
16,400
8,450
14,000
0
1,527,445
2,865,565
260,015
612,988
267,783
272,256
23,487
1,559
15,122
1,878
29,165
1,738
3,380,840
500,000
36,000
38,000
138,580
230,000
15,000
14,820
1,396,000
30,000
345,500
150,000
40,460
225,640
209,340
8,000
3,500
3,011,078
491,190
13,945
22,121
155,038
162,365
9,797
6,431
1,445,187
0
247,415
113,447
39,651
101,436
197,241
2,684
3,130
41,103,100
39,345,800
1,757,300
38,593,957
36,781,988
1,811,969
760,000
54,299,170
373,540
47,244,588
annual report 06/07
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61
Workload
PROGRAMME / MAIN AREAS OF WORK
WORKLOAD / PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
FY 2005
FY 2006
Legal Advice and Opinion (All Divisions)
No. of matters attended to
To respond to simple cases within 7 working days (%)
To respond to complex cases within 14 working days (%)
5829
95.68%
91.72%
6159
95.28%
91.66%
To achieve accuracy in publication (%)
No. of cases responded within targeted period (%)
No. of typewritten pages
No. of typewritten pages
No. of published pages
No. of Acts
No. of published pages
No. of papers
No. of monthly surveys of selected websites
99.99%
99.95%
7193
7349
2506
22
952
21
12
99.99%
99.37%
5923
4373
1779
14
1494
25
12
No. of attendances
To respond to routine matters within 7 working days (%)
No. of files processed
125
94.00%
344
79
281
103
18
125
95.00%
178
76
277
94
0
To respond to cases within 7 working days (%)
No. of cases
90.80%
39311
88.60%
40246
4063
59
124
29
2876
134
63
43
No. of attendances
To satisfy requests for attendances at meetings (%)
No. of attendances
No. of cases
To respond to simple cases within 7 working days (%)
To respond to complex cases within 14 working days (%)
902.5
100.00%
591
166
86.96%
98.04%
921
100.00%
263
118
82.09%
100.00%
No. of attendances
No. of attendances
No. of attendances
No. of visits
No. of days of events
No. of attendances
To ensure availability of treaties databases (% of time)
1060.5
68.5
156
17
17.5
194.5
100.00%
1070
62
155
18
23.5
175
100.00%
Legislation (Legis and LRRD)
Bills
Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
Revised Edition of the Acts & Subject index to Acts
Revised Edition of the SL & Subject index to SL
Law Reform Papers
Survey of International Law Reform Websites
Civil (Civil Division)
Civil Hearings
Routine Matters
Recovery of money and foreign worker’s levy
Tortious claims by and against the Government
Admission to the bar
Miscellaneous statutory functions
Land acquisition
Investigation Papers (CJD)
Criminal Hearings (CJD)
Criminal cases
Appeals
Extradition & Inquiries
Other hearings
International Legal Transactions (IAD and CJD)
International negotiations and meetings
Dispute resolutions / international litigations
Mutual legal assistance requests
Others (All divisions)
Other meetings
Inquiries
Legal Education
Visits*
Other events*
Ad-hoc projects
Treaties database
No. of cases
No. of cases
No. of cases
No. of cases
List of AGC-wide committees
AGC REGISTRY OF
COMMITTEES
Chairperson
ONG Hian Sun
Secretary
James Elisha LEE Han Leong
Member
Ashraf Bin ABDUL KADER
Christopher GOH Eng Chiang
Eugene KWANG Yew Choon
Jeanne LEE Ming En
Kevin Lim Meng Ern
Paul CHIA Kim Huat
Ravneet KAUR
Sheila d/o PANJA NADAN
Vimala d/o SAMUGAM
Yvonne LAU Chuey Chuey (CISD)
AGC ANNUAL EVENT 2007
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
S Jennifer MARIE
Vice Chairperson
Winston CHENG Howe Ming
HO Su Ching
Janet WANG Lan Jee
Jaswant SINGH
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Jeyendran JEYAPAL Study Leave
Kessler SOH Boon Leng
LEE Chuan Huei
LEE Lit Cheng
Matthew JOSEPH
Melinda MOOSA
Nor’ashikin Binte SAMDIN
Ravneet KAUR
Sharon ONG Su Min
Wendy CHANG Mun Lin
AGC ANNUAL REPORT 2007
COMMITTEE
Advisor
S Jennifer Marie
Editors-In-Chief
Cheng Howe Ming
Hema Subramanian
Members
Chua Hwa Kuan, Samuel
Lee Ming En, Jeanne
Ong Su Min, Sharon
Shahla Iqbal
Tang Luke
Tay Mei Woon, Charlene
Winodan Vinesh
Chang Mun Lin, Wendy
Chao Su Ling, Joyce
Chong Kah Wei
AGC BENCHMARKING
COMMITTEE
Lee Han Leong, James Elisha
Lee Ti-ting
Lin Si Shi, Olivine
Lun Chee Gai
Natalie Yu-Lin Morris
Ng Yong Kiat, Francis
Chairperson
Daniel KOH Poh Leong
Secretary
David CHEW Siong Tai
CHENG Pei Feng
Ranjini Ramakrishnan
Santhra d/o Aiyyasamy
Tan Yeok Ching, Joanna
Hon Yi
Leong Wing Teck
AGC ARCHIVAL & FILE
DESTRUCTION COMMITTEE
Chairperson
David KHOO Kim Leng
Vice Chairperson
LEONG Wing Tuck
Ong Wai Mun, Crystal
Lim Meng Ern, Kevin
Member
CHONG Chin Chin
CHONG Kah Wei
Crystal ONG Wai Mun
David LIM Jit Hee
Deena Binte ABDUL AZIZ BAJRAI
Edwin SAN Ong Kyar
Francis NG Yong Kiat
HAN Ming Kuang
Chua Leng Poh, Vincent
Member
ANG Meng Siong
CHONG Hui Ling
Denis WANG Wan
Gurbachan KAUR
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
LEE Cheow Han
Leonard GOH Choon Hian
POH Geok Lan
Sharon ONG Su Min
Member
Brenda CHUA Wei Ling
CHONG Kah Wei
(Chairperson, Corporate Culture
Sub-Comm)
Jeanne LEE Ming En
(Chairperson, Legis Sub-Comm)
Joyce CHAO Suling
(Chairperson, LRRD Sub-Comm)
Lionel Y EE Woon Chin
(Chairperson, IAD Sub-Comm)
PHUA Wee Chuan
(Chairperson, Civil Sub-Comm)
WONG Kok Weng
(Chairperson, CJD Sub-Comm)
AGC BUILDING COMMITTEE
Chairperson
ONG Hian Sun
LEE Chuan Huei
Corporate Services Advisor
S Jennifer MARIE
Office Management Advisor
Amy NEO Kim Kiow
Bernard Y EO Thian Hoe
annual report 06/07
62
63
Secretary
James Elisha LEE Han Leong
KAN Shuk Weng
Regina TAN Shea Fang
Accountant
TANG Wee Ling
Vincent CHUA Leng Poh
Member
LAU Wing Yum
PHUA Wee Chuan
SOH Sze Bian
AGC COMMITTEE FOR BEST
SOURCING AND ECONOMY
DRIVE
Chairperson
SG Walter WOON Cheong Ming
Secretary
PHANG Hsiao Chung
Dy Secretary
Member
Charles LIM Aeng Cheng
Jeffrey CHAN Wah Teck
Lawrence ANG Boon Kong
S Jennifer MARIE
Sivakant TIWARI
TER Kim Cheu
AGC WORKING COMMITTEE
FOR BEST SOURCING
Secretary
PHANG Hsiao Chung
Dy Secretary
Member
CHONG Hui Ling
Joyce CHAO Suling
PHUA Wee Chuan
S Jennifer MARIE
AGC CISD / INFORMATION
DIVISION ADS & KM LEADERS
CIO
Director (Information Systems)
LEE Chuan Huei
Director (KM)
Joyce CHAO Suling
Director (Library)
Eric CHIN Sze Choong
Assistant Director
Alvin KOH Meng Sing
Benjamin Y IM Geok Choon
CHONG Kah Wei
Christopher ONG Siu Jin
HON Yi
KAN Shuk Weng
Kevin LIM Meng Ern
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
ONG Chin Heng
PHANG Hsiao Chung
TOH Hwee Lian
WOON Seow Cheng
KM Leader
Andrew ABRAHAM
Fanny CHANG
Jenny TAN Hong Lee
Joyce CHNG Hsiao Wei
Kelly LIM Fong Yin
LEE Wei Kwang
Melinda MOOSA
Paul CHIA Kim Huat
Wendy CHANG Mun Ling
Regina Tan Shea Fang
Kristine CHEONG Wai Leng
Low Lang Cheng
AGC COMMUNITY WELFARE
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Member
Audrey SEET Nee WONG Kwai Choo
Cindy SOH Keng Ling
Hema SUBRAMANIAN
Irene NG Ai Ling
Kalaithasan s/o KARUPPAYA
KAN Shuk Weng
LEE Chuan Huei
Nor’ashikin Binte SAMDIN
Sharon ONG Su Min
Vimala d/o SAMUGAM
Serene SEET Lay Cheng Study Leave
AGC CORPORATE GIFTS
COMMITTEE
Advisor
S Jennifer MARIE
Chairperson
Member
Crystal ONG Wai Mun
Irene NG Ai Ling
Kalidass MURUGAIYAN
LEE Wei Kwang
Sakbania RAMAD
Vala d/o MUTHUPALANIAPPAN
AGC CORPORATE RETREAT
2007 COMMITTEE
Advisor
S Jennifer MARIE
Chairperson
LEE Sing Lit
Vice Chairperson
Daphne HONG Fan Sin
Mark TAY Swee Keng
Secretary
TAN Yanying
TOH Shin Hao
Member
Amy NEO Kim Kiow
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
Dharishinie d/o MANI
Elizabeth ENG Mui Kin
Fadzilah Binte MOHAMED ONN
Farah Asyura MUHAMAD
Fauziah Begum d/o A R
Gurbachan KAUR
Jayarajan GOPALKRISHNA
Kalaithasan s/o KARUPPAYA
KAN Shuk Weng
LEE Ti-Ting
LOW Lang Cheng
Masita MANDON
MIYAPAN Ramu
Patricia NG Poh Toye
POH Ching Ling
Puvaneswari SANDIRASEKARAN
Robert TAN
Sabrina SOLOMON
Santhra d/o AIY YASAMY
Sarojini RAJOO
Shalindah SHAHARUDDIN
Susan QUEK Ngak Khim
Luke TANG
Ravneet KAUR
Vala MUTHUPALANIAPPAN
AGC EMERGENCY PLANNING
COMMITEE
Advisor
Chairperson
Amarjit SINGH
Vice Chairperson
LEONG Wing Tuck
Secretary
Member
Daren TANG Heng Shim
David LIM Jit Hee
Elaine PHANG Hui Shien (CISD)
Fanny CHANG
Hema SUBRAMANIAN
James TAY Choon Tong (CISD)
TAN Kiat Pheng
AGC COFFEETABLE BOOK
COMMITTEE
AGC ENTERPRISE LEGAL
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ELMS)
WORKING COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Chairperson
NG Cheng Thiam
Member
Charlene TAY Mei Woon
Kalidass MURUGAIYAN
Member
ANG Meng Siong
April PHANG Suet Fern
CHENG Pei Feng
CHONG Kah Wei
FOONG Kah Yam (CISD)
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
LEE Chuan Huei
Mavis CHIONH Sze Chyi
Patricia PHUA Hwee Fen (CISD)
PHANG Hsiao Chung
TOH Hwee Lian
Winodan VINESH
AGC ENTERPRISE SEARCH
ENGINE AND AUTOCLASSIFIER COMMITTEE
Chairperson
LEE Chuan Huei
Project Manager
Lionel Y IP Shiu Kit (CISD)
Member
HON Yi
ONG Chin Heng
WOON Seow Cheng
AGC FATF SUPPORT
COMMITTEE
Member
Irene Ng Ai Ling
Nurhashimah Binte ABDUL RAZAK
Siti Nuraisha Binte AHMAD
AGC GAZETTE EDITORIAL
COMMITTEE
Editor-in-Chief
HAY Hung Chun
Member
Andrew ABRAHAM
BEK Ching Ching
Crystal ONG Wai Mun
Emily TEO Sze-Yin
Janice WONG Shi Hui
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Kalidass MURUGAIYAN
LEONG Wing Tuck
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
Mark TAY Swee Keng
PHUA Wee Chuan
Stella TAN Wei Ling
TOH Shin Hao
Vinesh WINODAN
Norhardeahwati Binte BUANG (Library)
ONG Luan Tze Study Leave
annual report 06/07
64
65
AGC GIFT VALUATION
COMMITTEE
AGC ICT STEERING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
WONG Kok Weng
Chairperson
Member
Denis WANG Wan
Member
Joyce CHAO Suling
LEE Chuan Huei
Melinda MOOSA
ONG Hian Sun
PHANG Hsiao Chung
S Jennifer MARIE
TOH Hwee Lian
Ibrahim MOHAMED (CISD)
AGC@GOVERNMENT
INTRANET COMMITTEE
Chairperson
TOH Hwee Lian
Member
Andrew ABRAHAM
CHENG Pei Feng
CHONG Kah Wei
Fanny CHANG
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
Jeyashankar SIVALINGAM
LEE Chuan Huei
LEE Wei Kwang
Leonard GOH Choon Hian
Melinda MOOSA
WONG Cheng Liang
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
Joanna TAN (Library)
AGC ICT SECURITY WORKING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
LEE Chuan Huei
Member
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
Melinda MOOSA
PHANG Hsiao Chung
AGC INFO DIV
COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Joyce CHAO Suling
Member
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
AGC ISO 9000 COMMITTEE
Chairperson
S Jennifer MARIE
Secretary
Member
Amy NEO Kim Kiow
CHONG Hui Ling
LUN Chee Gai
TANG Wee Ling
AGC KM PORTAL UPGRADE
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Joyce CHAO Suling
Member
KAN Shuk Weng
WOON Seow Cheng
Hon Yi
AGC LAW ENFORCEMENT
DINNER COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Member
Crystal ONG Wai Mun
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Shahla IQBAL
AGC LEGISLATION EDITING
AND AUTHENTIC PUBLISHING
(LEAP) STEERING COMMITTEE
Sponsor
TER Kim Cheu
Chairperson
PHANG Hsiao Chung
Secretary
Yvonne LAU Chuey Chuey
Member
CHONG Kah Wei
Joyce CHAO Suling
LEE Chuan Huei
Melinda MOOSA
Wendy CHANG Mun Lin
AGC LEGISLATION EDITING
AND AUTHENTIC PUBLISHING
(LEAP) WORKING COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Yvette C RODRIGUES
Member
Fanny CHANG
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
Jenny TAN Hong Lee
Joyce CHNG Hsiao Weo
Noraini JANTAN
POH Geok Lan
Allhi P (CISD)
Jegathambigai KRISHNAN (CISD)
Michelle OW YEONG Phui Ling (CISD)
AGC LIBRARY COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Member
HON Yi
Joanna Tan (Library)
Julie HUAN Li Yueh
KAN Shuk Weng
Kevin LIM Meng Ern
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
AGC LOTUS NOTES
APPLICATIONS MIGRATION
COMMITTEE
Vinesh WINODAN
Chairperson
ONG Chin Heng
AGC NET ECONOMIC VALUE
(NEV) STEERING COMMITTEE
Member
CHONG Kah Wei
LEE Chuan Huei
Chairperson
AGC MEDIATION SERVICE
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
HAN Ming Kuang
Member
Shahla IQBAL
Yvette C RODRIGUES
AGC NATIONAL DAY
OBERVANCE CEREMONY 2007
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Member
John LU Zhuoren
Olivine LIN Si Shi
Ravneet KAUR
Samuel CHUA Hwa Kuan
Secretary
Member
OWI Beng Ki
Sivakant TIWARI
S Jennifer Marie
TER Kim Cheu
AGC PEOPLE DEVELOPER
STANDARD WORKING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Secretary
TAN Kiat Pheng
Wilson HUE Kuan Chen
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
Cindy SOH Kheng Ling
Daniel KOH Poh Leong
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Jefry MOHAMAD
Joyce CHAO Suling
LAU Wing Yum
LEE Chuan Huei
LEE Lit Cheng
LIM Jit Hee
Lionel Y EE Woon Ching
LUN Chee Gai
Melinda MOOSA
NG Cheng Thiam
Noraihan Binte OSMAN
Patricia NG Poh Toye
POH Ching Ling
S Jennifer MARIE
S P Raveendran
Shirlynn LOH Soh Leng
SOH Tze Bian
Stanley KOK Pin Chin
Stella TAN Wei Ling
TANG Wee Ling
Vinesh WINODAN
Wendy CHANG Mun Ling
WONG Cheng Liang
AGC PUBLIC AFFAIRS UNIT
Member
Adeline EE Li Ching
CHONG Hui Ling
Head
Dy Head
HAN Ming Kuang
annual report 06/07
66
67
Member
Andre Moses TAN Chang Ann
Andrew Abraham
CHONG Kah Wei
Crystal ONG Wai Mun
Irene NG Ai Ling
Janet WANG Lan Jee
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Jeanne LEE Ming En
John LU Zhuoren
Kalidass MURUGAIYAN
Kevin LIM Meng Ern
Lavanyah VEERAPATHIRAN
Luke TANG
Olivine LIN Si Shi
Ravneet KAUR
S Jennifer Marie
Samuel CHUA Hwa Kuan
Santhra d/o AIY YASAMY
Shahla IQBAL
Sharon ONG Su Min
Vinesh WINODAN
AGC PHOTOTAKING &
ARCHIVING COMMITTEE
Chairperson
HON Yi
Member
Benjamin Y IM Geok Choon
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
Christine LIU Yiwen
David LOW Quan Ming
John LU Zhuoren
Kevin LIM Meng Ern
LEONG Wing Tuck
Stella TAN Wei Ling
AGC SECRETARIAL SUPPORT
SERVICES COMMITTEE
Advisor
WONG Cheng Liang
AGC QSM COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Member
Cindy SOH Kheng Ling
Maria NEO Wenzhu
Ravneet Kaur
Sareenah Binte MOHD PHAMI
Shahla IQBAL
AGC REGISTRY
ADMINISTRATION
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
WONG Cheng Liang
Vice Chairperson
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
Member
CHONG Hui Ling
Jenny TAN Hong Lee
Jeyashankar SIVALINGAM
Yvette C RODRIGUES
Chairperson
Secretary
Patrica NG Poh Toye
Dy Secretary
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
Member
ANG Meng Siong
CHONG Hui Ling
Fadzilah Binte MOHAMED ONN
Farizah JAINAL
HA Yeong Sheng
Jenny TAN Hong Lee
Noraini JANTAN
Ricky TAN Chee Yong
Shirley TAN Ee Neo
Susan QUEK Ngak Kim
TAN Kooi Biaw
Yvette C RODRIGUES
Security Officer
Anandan BALA
LIM Keng Seong
Peter KOY Su Hua
CHONG Kah Wei
AGC SQA STEERING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
S Jennifer MARIE
Secretary
Stella TAN Wei Ling
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Member
Amarjit SINGH
PANG Kang Chau
TAN Kiat Pheng
LEE Jwee Nguan Study Leave
AGC SQA REPORT COMMITTEE
Chairperson
AGC SECURITY COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Jaswant SINGH
Member
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
Vice Chairperson
S Jennifer MARIE
Member
HON Yi
Jean KUA Zhizhen
Shawn HO Hsi Ming
Stella TAN Wei Ling
Ravneet KAUR
Robert TAN
Santhra AIY YASAMY
Stella TAN Wei Ling
AGC SQA RESOURCE
COMMITTEE
AGC TECHNICAL
ARCHITECTURE STEERING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
TAN Kiat Pheng
Vice Chairperson
WONG Cheng Liang
Member
HA Yeong Sheng
ONG Chin Heng
PHUA Wee Chuan
Wendy CHANG Mun Lin
AGC STAFF WELFARE
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
David LIM Jit Hee
Secretary
Michelle OW Y EONG
Member
Andrew ABRAHAM
BEK Ching Ching
Imran Bin ABDUL HAMID
Lavanyah VEERAPATHIRAN
Olivine LIN Si Shi
Chairperson
Member
HON Yi
Kevin LIM
LEE Chuan Huei
Marcus SONG Ee Pin
ONG Chin Heng
PHANG Hsiao Chung
TOH Hwee Lian
AGC VISITING FORCES
TRAINING EXERCISE
COMMITTEE
Advisor
Chairperson
S Jennifer MARIE
Vice Chairperson
HAN Ming Kuang
Member
WONG Cheng Liang
AGC WEBSITE COMMITTEE
Chairperson
LEE Chuan Huei
Member
Fanny CHANG
Melinda MOOSA
PHANG Hsiao Chung
Ranjini RAMAKRISHNAN
Sharon ONG Su Min
TOH Hwee Lian
CHOO-PEH Poh Lian
AGC WITS WORKING
COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Hema SUBRAMANIAN
NG Cheng Thiam
Member
Amy NEO Kim Kiow
ANG Meng Siong
HO Su Ching
Janet WANG Lan Jee
Jeanne LEE Ming En
Jefry Bin MOHAMAD
LEE Wei Kwang
Mark TAY Swee Keng
Noraihan Binte OSMAN
ONG Chin Heng
Yvette C RODRIGUES
annual report 06/07
68
69
Attorney-General
Chao Hick Tin
Solicitor-General
Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming
DIVISIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION
Ang Boon Kong, Lawrence
Senior State Counsel
Tan Siong Thye
Seconded to CAD wef 10 Jan 2007
Ong Hian Sun
Suriyiacala Jennifer Marie
Koh Poh Leong, Daniel
Lee Sing Lit
Deputy Senior State Counsel
Wong Kok Weng
Lau Wing Yum
Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh
Ng Cheng Thiam
Cheng Howe Ming
Tay Swee Keng, Mark
Han Ming Kuang
Anandan s/o Bala
State Counsel
Amarjit Singh
Ang Aiping, Karen
Chan Lay Koon, Jean
Chan Huimin
Chan Tai-Hui, Jason
Posted to Supreme Court Registry wef
1 September 2007
Chay Yuen Fatt
Posted from LSD, Mindef wef
1 December 2007
Chew Chin Yee
1 September 2007
Chew Siong Tai, David
Chia Kim Huat, Paul
Ee Li Ching, Adeline
Hay Hung Chun
Ho Hsi Ming Shawn
Hon Yi
Imran bin Abdul Hamid
Jeyendran Jeyapal
Khoo Kim Leng, David
Koh Meng Sing, Alvin
Koh Sok Kheng, Marie Christina
Koh-Tan, Gillian
Kok Pin Chin, Stanley
Posted to Civil Division wef
1 December 2007
Koy Su Hua, Peter
Kua Zhizhen, Jean
Lee Cheow Han
Lee Jwee Nguan
Lee Liang Mae, Elizabeth
Lee Lit Cheng
Lee Yee Leng, Eugene
Posted to LSD, Mindef wef 2 July 2007
Lee Ti-Ting
Posted from Supreme Court JLC Pool wef
1 September 2007
Leong Wing Tuck
Lim Keng Seong
Lim Tse Haw
Low Junrui, Daryl
Low Quan Ming, David
Low Teik Seang, Gilbert
Posted to LSD, Mindef wef 15 Jan 2007
Lu Zhuoren, John
Miyapan Ramu
Mohamed Faizal s/o Mohamed
Abdul Kadir
1 September 2007
Natalie Yu-Lin, Morris
Ng Der Lim
Ng John
Posted to Subordinate Courts wef
1 August 2007
Nor’ashikin Binte Samdin
Ong Luan Tze
Ong Siu Jin, Christopher
P Siva Shanmugam
Posted from Subordinate Courts wef
1 November 2007
Phang Suet Fern, April
Quan Kaih Shiuh, Paul
1 April 2007
Quek Hui Ling
Seconded to IRAS wef 1 August 2007
Ravneet Kaur
San Ong Kyar, Edwin
Sarala Kumari d/o Subramaniam
Shahla Iqbal
Sharmila d/o Sripathy
Tan Chang Ann, Andre Moses
Tan Kiat Pheng
Tan Li Ching, Jill
1 April 2007
Tan Wei Ling, Stella
Tan Wen Hsien
1 October 2007
Tan Yi-Lui, Diane
Tang Luke
1 September 2007
Toh Shin Hao
Wang Lan Jee, Janet
Wee Cheng Hao, Royce
Posted from Legal Aid Bureau wef
1 August 2007
Winodan Vinesh
Yap Peng Hoon, Wendy
Yim Geok Choon, Benjamin
Zuzarte, Dyan
Posted from LSU, MOE wef
26 June 2007
Assistant Public Prosecutor
Jayarajan s/o Gopalakrishna
Jesintha d/o Veijayaratnam
Kalaithasan s/o Karuppaya
Kalidass s/o Murugaiyan
Eugene Kwang Yew Choon
Evelyn Lee Jasmine
Lee Sok San (Sasha)
Lee May San, Marian
Lin Si Shi, Olivine
Liu Yiwen, Christine
Puvaneswari Sandirasekaran
Ram Vishal Tiwary
Seet Lay Cheng, Serene
Simran Kaur Toor
S Puspha
Tan Robert
Tan Yanying
Valathammai d/o Muthupalaniappan
Veerapathiran Lavanyah
Management Executive Officer
Ha Yeong Sheng
Lee Wei Kwang
Lim Fong Yin, Kelly
Loh Soh Leng, Shirlynn
Sarojini d/o Somasundram Rajoo
Sheila d/o Panja Nadan
Wong Cheng Liang
Management Support Officer
Fadzilah binte Mohamed Onn
Ng Ai Ling, Irene
Quek Ngak Khim (Susan)
Shorthand Writer
Maslizah bte Husain Khan
Sareenah bte Mohd Phami
Sarini bte Mohd Yasar
Soh Kheng Ling, Cindy
Suriani bte Demon
Left wef 3 Feb 2007
Corporate Support Officer
Amnah bte Ahmad
Hamidah bte Umar
Jalilah bte Hussien
Kalima bte Ali
Lee Chai Yun, Jennifer
Neo Wenzhu, Maria Sissy
Nurhashimah bte AB. Razak
Seah Ah Hoa
Siti Nuraisha bte Ahmad
Vimala d/o Samugam
Wee Xun Quan
Operations Support Officer
Ashraf bin Abdul Kader
Junainah bte Saini
Kamisah bte Hamzah
Parvathi d/o Visvalingam
Rohayati bte Darhoni
Rozanah bte Buang
Saadiah bte Ahmad
Sakbania bte Ramad
Sujatha d/o Nanoo
CIVIL DIVISION
Chan Wah Teck, Jeffrey
Appointed as PSSC, International
Affairs Division wef 20 Dec 2007
Chong Gek Sian, David
Appointed as PSSC, Civil Division wef
20 Dec 2007.
Chionh Sze Chyi, Mavis
Posed from Subordinate Courts
wef 1 Jan 2007
Thean Pik Yuen, Valerie
Posted from Subordinate Courts
wef 1 Feb 2007
Phua Wee Chuan
Chin Sze Choong, Eric
State Counsel
Chia Mei Ann, Cheryl Leigh
Left wef 1 Feb 2007
Chong Chin Chin
Chua Wei Ling, Brenda
1 September 2007
Goh Choon Hian, Leonard
Seconded to ACRA from 1 December 2007
Ho Su Ching
Leong Kwang Ian
Posted to Supreme Court Registry from
1 September 2007
Kevin Lim Meng Ern
Posted from CJD wef 1 Jan 2007
Teh Hwee Hwee
Seconded to SAL from 1 Jan 2007 31 Dec 2009
Toh Hwee Lian
Janice Wong Shi Hui
Posted from CJD wef 1 Mar 2007
Woon Seow Cheng
Zou Wen Xi @ Dominic Zou
Posted to Legal Services Unit, MOE wef
1 Mar 2007
Deputy Manager
Jeyashankar s/o Sivalingam
Yang Weiling, Alicia
Management Support Officer
Gay Meng Choo
Transfer to Cabinet wef 19 Sep 2007
Shorthand Writer
Ding-Tan BeeYong, Stella
Ang Irene
Chew Kui Fong (Michelle)
Leong Yueh Sim, Margaret
Neoh Kim Choo (Jenny)
Noraihan bte Osman
Poh nee Tan Kooi Biaw
Sim Kim Poh
Posted to International Affairs Division
wef 20 Dec 2007
Teo Bee Khim
Halimahton bte Nawar
Junainah bte Walet
Koh Liang Ju
Sivapackiam d/o Thandayutham
Susila d/o Maniam
annual report 06/07
70
71
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
DIVISION
Sivakant Tiwari
Appointed as Special Consultant
(International Affairs Division) wef
21 Dec 2007
Yee Woon Chin, Lionel
Soh Tze Bian
Mathew Joseph
Pang Khang Chau
Hue Kuan Chen, Wilson
Hong Fan Sin, Daphne
State Counsel
Cheng Pei Feng
Davinia Filza Binte Abdul Aziz
Posted from Subordinate Courts wef
1 October 2007
Deena bte Abdul Aziz Bajrai
Goh Eng Chiang, Christopher
Ong Chin Heng
Ong Su Min, Sharon
Song Ee Pin, Marcus
Tan Theng Kok (Jason)
Tang Heng Shim, Daren
Deputy Managers
Ang Meng Siong
Wong Kwai Choo, Audrey
Bek Ching Ching
Eswari d/o Sivanagam
Posted to Civil Division wef 20 Dec 2007
Farizah bte Jainal
Lee Siew Khin (Michelle)
Tan Ee Neo, Shirley
Teo Gek Choo
Yeong Sue Hwee, Cindy
LAW REFORM & REVISION
DIVISION
Lim Aeng Cheng, Charles
Soh Boon Leng, Kessler
Chao Su Ling, Joyce
State Counsel
Chong Kah Wei
Manager
Tan Hong Lee, Jenny
Deputy Manager
Chang Fanny
Research Officer
Abraham Andrew
Shorthand Writer
Yuen Lye Peng
Asha Devi
Gurbachan Kaur d/o Bishen Singh
Jefry bin Mohamad
Noraini bte Jantan
Eng Mui Kin, Elizabeth
Manager
Tan Shea Fang, Regina
Deputy Managers
Chng Hsiao Wei, Joyce
Poh Geok Lan
Shorthand Writer
Tan Choon Gek, Anna
LEGISLATION DIVISION
Ter Kim Cheu
Owi Beng Ki
Lim Hock Choon, David
Lee Chuan Huei
Lee Ming En, Jeanne
Phang Hsiao Chung
Lim Jit Hee
Melinda Moosa
Hema Subramanian
State Counsel
Huan Li Yueh, Julie
Kan Shuk Weng
Lee Yean-Lin
Teo Sze Yin, Emily
Assistant Director
Rodrigues Yvette Christine
Sabrina Solomon
Shalindah bte Shaharuddin
Tan Chee Yong, Ricky
Fouziah Begum d/o A Razak
Koh Chay Hua, Janet
Rubayah bte Ab Aziz
Salmah Hareer d/o Haneefa Hareer
AG’S OFFICE
Special Assistant to AG
Raveendran s/o Sundram Pillai
PA to SG
Ng Poh Toye, Patricia
Foo Tee Lan, Vivienne
CORPORATE SERVICES
DIVISION
Assistant Manager
Bernard Teo
Director (Knowledge Management)
Chao Su Ling, Joyce
Director
S Jennifer Marie
Sarojah
Director (Library)
Eric Chin
Deputy Director
Lun Chee Gai
Personnel Management Unit
Senior Manager
Chong Hui Ling
Assistant Directors
Chew Siong Tai, David
Chong Kah Wei
Hon Yi
Kan Shuk Weng
Lim Meng Ern, Kevin
Ong Chin Heng
Ong Siu Jin, Christopher
Phang Hsiao Chung
Soh Boon Leng, Kessler
Song Ee Pin, Marcus
Tan Theng Kok, Jason
Toh Hwee Lian
Woon Seow Cheng
Financial Management Unit
Senior Assistant Director
Deputy Manager
Low Lang Cheng
Senior Manager
Tang Wee Ling
Personnal Officer
Kelly Liang Xinyi
Assistant Manager
Denis Wang Wan
Finance Executive
Farah Asyura Muhamad
Loh Soon Liang
Loo Lee Eng
Mohamad Fahmi bin Yusoff
Samsiya Taib
Human Resource
Development Unit
Assistant Director
Cheong Wai Leng, Kristine
INTERNAL AUDIT UNIT
Internal Audit Manager
Chang Sy Fei
Manager
Poh Ching Ling
INFORMATION DIVISION
Shamsiah bte Alias
Office Management Unit
Chief Information Officer /
Divisional Director
Lim Aeng Cheng, Charles
Manager
Neo Kim Kiow, Amy
Director (Information Systems)
Lee Chuan Huei
Librarian
Deputy Director (CISD)/
Information Systems Manager
Elaine Phang
Technical Services Manager
James Tay
Application Services Manager
Foong Kah Yam
IT Consultant
Yvonne Lau
Lionel Yip
Md Ibrahim
Patricia Phua
Network Administrator
Yeo Wei Chin
Helpdesk Engineer
Ralph Teo
Information Division Support Staff
Choo Poh Lian
Jegathambigai K
Masita Mandon
Ow Yeong PL, Michelle
Library Staff
Aw Siew Bee, Eileen
Leow Linli, Kelly
Norhardeahwati Buang
Tan Lay Tin
Ruzainah Bte Ashari
annual report 06/07
72
73
Editorial Committee
Advisor
Contributors
Photographers
S Jennifer Marie
Hon Yi
Chao Su Ling, Joyce
Leong Wing Teck
Editors-In-Chief
Chong Kah Wei
Cheng Howe Ming
Hema Subramanian
Members
Lee Ti-ting
Lin Si Shi, Olivine
Lee Ming En, Jeanne
Lun Chee Gai
Lim Meng Ern, Kevin
Natalie Yu-Lin Morris
Ong Su Min, Sharon
Shahla Iqbal
Tang Luke
Winodan Vinesh
www.agc.gov.sg
annual report 06/07
Annual Report 06 / 07
1 Coleman Street, #10-00, Singapore 179803
Telephone +65-6336 -1411 Facsimile +65-6332-5984
Email [email protected]

Annual Report 2006/2007 - Attorney

Transcription

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