July / Augustus 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Review
The Supreme Court By Richard Soemita
There was a high turn up of ADB members, close
to 70. We started with a tour around the premises
and were shown the hall where the High Court
resides and 1 of the 5 technology courts with all
its high-tech facilities.
The Building
In June 2005, the Supreme Court moved from the
old Supreme Court and City Hall buildings into its
new premises (72,000 m²) on 1 Supreme Court
Lane. The current Supreme Court building was
designed by British architectural firm Foster and
Partners.
The building was officially opened on January
7, 2006. It accommodates 12 civil courts, 8 criminal
courts, 3 appellate courts and accompanying suites
of ancillary facilities. Each courtroom is located
within a court block that also contains a hearing
chamber where the judge may meet with counsel
in private; a court conference room for discussions
among lawyers and two witness rooms which serve
as holding areas for witnesses.
The design of the current Supreme Court
building mirrors the Supreme Court’s organizational
structure. The courtrooms where the High Court
hearings take place are contained in the lower
levels of the building, from levels 2 through 6.
The Court of Appeal, the highest appellate court in
the land, is symbolically raised to the apex of the
building and houses at the centre of the disc.
In addition to the court blocks, 8 registrars’
chambers, where a host of pre- and post-trial
applications are heard, have been clustered on
level 2 for the convenience of lawyers who may be
required to attend before different registrars in the
same day. The building showcases an abundance
of glass in the atriums, skylights and lift shafts,
signifying the ideal of transparency in the law.
We than all gathered at 1 of the technology
High Courts were a brief presentation was given:
the Supreme Court of Singapore is one of the 2
tiers of the court system in Singapore, the other
tier being the Subordinate Courts.
The Supreme Court consists of the Court of
Appeal and the High Court and hears both civil and
criminal matters. The Court of Appeal hears both
civil and criminal appeals from the High Court.
The Court of Appeal may also decide a point of
law reserved for its decision by the High Court, as
well as any point of law of public interest arising
in the course of an appeal from a subordinate
court to the High Court, which has been reserved
by the High Court for the decision of the Court
of Appeal.
Criminal cases involving offences which carry
the death penalty and generally those punishable
with imprisonment for a term exceeding 10 years,
are prosecuted in the High Court.
Court structure
The Supreme Court is made up of the Court of
Appeal and the High Court, and hears both civil
and criminal matters. The Supreme Court Bench
consists of the Chief Justice, the Judges of Appeal,
Judges and the Judicial Commissioners of the
Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Registry is
headed by the Registrar who is assisted by the
Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars and
Assistant Registrars. Justices’ Law Clerks, who
work directly under the charge of the Chief Justice,
assist the Judges and Judicial Commissioners by
carrying out research on the law, particularly for
appeals before the Court of Appeal.
Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal hears appeals against the
decisions of High Court Judges in both civil and
criminal matters. It became Singapore’s final
court of appeal on 8 April 1994, when appeals to
the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council were
abolished.
The Chief Justice sits in the Court of Appeal
together with (normally 2) other Judges of Appeal.
A Judge of the High Court may, on the request
of the Chief Justice, sit in the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal is presided over by the Chief
Justice or, in his absence, the Vice-President (if
Vol.19 • No. 6 • July/August 2009