Mission:
Serving society with quality judgments, timely dispute resolution and excellent court services
Shared Vision:
Inspiring public trust and confidence through an effective and accessible justice system
Core Values:
Fairness,
Accessibility,
Independence, Integrity, Impartiality
Responsiveness.
Source:
www.statecourts.gov.sg
The Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) is a division of the General Division of the High Court and part of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Enhancing Singapore’s international standing as a key legal and business hub in Asia, as well as a leading centre for international commercial dispute resolution, the SICC was established in 2015 as a trusted neutral forum to meet the growing demand for effective transnational dispute resolution through litigation due to Singapore’s strategic location within Asia and the reputation of its world-class judiciary known for efficiency, competence and integrity. The SICC will hear claims that are ‘international and commercial nature’. The Chief Justice of Singapore, Sundaresh Menon, has stated that the SICC has features that make it ‘particularly attuned to the needs and realities of international commerce’. The SICC bench comprises a diverse panel of eminent international and local judges who are experienced specialist commercial judges in their own right. An important feature of the SICC is that it allows foreign lawyers to represent parties in certain circumstances, so long as they are registered with the Court and subject themselves to a Code of Ethics.
The SICC adopts international best practices for commercial disputes. Described as “arbitration in litigation”, the SICC combines the best practices of international arbitration with the substantive principles of international commercial law. Its procedures are flexible and may be tailored to suit parties’ preferences in several aspects. Yet, the SICC retains advantages of litigation like the availability of appeal and interim measures. Published judgments with clear grounds of decision will also aid in future disputes of a similar nature. And most vital in multi-party/multi-contract scenarios: the ability to join third and related parties. For such complex disputes, the SICC has established the Technology, Infrastructure and Construction List (TIC List) with various protocols and enhanced features for efficient resolution.
Finally, parties having their disputes adjudicated at the SICC will find that court fees are quite cost-effective. Such fees are based on milestone basis up to time of hearing, plus per hearing day rather than being ad valorem. Being in tandem with international best practices, the SICC allows for third-party funding and conditional fee arrangements. A Litigation-Mediation-Litigation Protocol has also been established with the Singapore International Mediation Centre in provide parties options for multi-tiered dispute resolution. The SICC is also a supervisory court for international arbitrations seated in Singapore, and hears matters arising from them, such as challenges to arbitral awards with applications for setting-aside. In line with Singapore’s efforts to establish itself as a nodal jurisdiction for restructuring and insolvency, the SICC also hears cross-border insolvency matters.
In essence, the SICC gives parties a truly unique dispute resolution option – which has been described by some as “arbitration in litigation”, combining the best practices of international arbitration with the substantive principles of international commercial law. The SICC’s ever-growing jurisprudence and landmark judgments have added much to its reputation as a major adjudication forum.
Source:
https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/singapore-international-commercial-court
The Supreme Court is located at 1 Supreme Court Lane, Singapore 178879. The building is situated up north from the Singapore River within the heart of Singapore’s Colonial District.
The nine-storey building spans 77,609 square meters and houses 29 courtrooms, comprising 16 civil courts, 10 criminal courts and three appeal courts. It also features 45 chambers and includes related judicial institutions and facilities such as a Judicial Heritage Gallery, The Learning Court, an auditorium, a theatrette and a library. At the top of the building is a disc-like structure which houses the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court building also houses the Supreme Court Library.
Source:
From 1939 to 2005, the Supreme Court was located on St Andrew’s Road in a plot spanning 5,110 sqm. Conceptualised by Frank Dorrington Ward, it was the last classical building constructed in Singapore between 1937 and 1939. The building was gazetted as a national monument in 1992. It was later restored together with the adjacent former City Hall building, with connecting bridges and a rooftop canopy, to form the National Gallery Singapore which opened in 2015.
In recognition of its architectural significance, the former Supreme Court building was gazetted as a national monument on 14 February 1992. It was vacated in 2005 with the opening of a new Supreme Court building located behind it.
Source:
https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=09764151-b212-4966-82a7-5366a5bf22d3
The Supreme Court is headed by the Chief Justice, who is supported by the:
The Supreme Court also includes the Singapore Judicial College, which serves the learning and development needs of judges and judicial officers.
The Supreme Court Bench
The Supreme Court Bench consists of the Chief Justice, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the Appellate Division, Judges of the High Court, Senior Judges, International Judges and Judicial Commissioners.
The Judges and Judicial Commissioners are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Judicial Commissioners are appointed to facilitate the disposal of business in the Supreme Court. They have the powers of a judge and are appointed for a specific period determined by the President.
A person may be appointed a Judge or Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court if they are a “qualified person” based on the definition in Section 2 of the Legal Profession Act, or have been a member of the Singapore Legal Service for at least 10 years, or both.
The Supreme Court Registry
The Supreme Court Registry comprises the Division for the Court of Appeal and the Appellate Division, the Division for the General Division of the High Court, and the Division for the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).
The Registry is headed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Registrar oversees the Registry’s management of the cases in the Supreme Court and is concurrently the Sheriff of the Supreme Court with responsibility over the execution of various writs and processes issued by the Supreme Court.
The Registrar is assisted by the Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, Divisional Registrars, Deputy Divisional Registrars and Assistant Registrars (collectively, “registrars”). Registrars are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the Chief Justice. They hold concurrent appointments as District Judges or Magistrates.
Registrars are empowered to exercise the authority and jurisdiction of a Judge sitting in chambers in the General Division of the High Court (except such authority and jurisdiction specifically required to be exercised by a Judge in person). They perform judicial roles in hearing, deciding and issuing judgments on a wide range of civil matters, including interlocutory applications (e.g., summary judgment, striking out, further and better particulars, discovery, interrogatories), bankruptcy applications, examination of judgment debtor, taxation, enforcement matters (e.g., issue of warrant of arrest and release of vessel, issue of writs of seizure and sale) and ex parte matters. Registrars also conduct and preside over trials on assessment of damages and the taking of accounts.
Registrars also deal with certain criminal matters, such as Criminal Case Disclosure Conferences. Registrars who are concurrently District Judges or Magistrates, may in those capacities, conduct committal hearings under Division 2 of Part X of the Criminal Procedure Code as in force immediately before 17 September 2018.
Working in close partnership with the Supreme Court Bench, registrars ensure the smooth and expeditious resolution of Supreme Court cases and matters docketed to specialised lists through active case management. To this end, registrars conduct Pre-Trial Conferences and Case Management Conferences for all Supreme Court matters, and also develop systemic enhancements in court procedures and processes through establishing best practices, bespoke guidelines and customised workflows.
Registrars support the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court Bench in advancing key strategic initiatives and judicial reforms to enhance the administration of justice. They are involved in innovative legislative reforms and reviews customised to the rules, procedures and requirements for matters at all levels in the Supreme Court. In view of their expertise and experience, registrars participate in and speak at international and local fora on the Singapore judicial system and issues relating to judicial policy and reform and specialised legal areas. They also contribute to the development of the law through editorship or authorship of academic publications and commentaries.
In addition, the Registry also manages issues relating to the profession (e.g., the admission of Advocates and Solicitors, functions of the Disciplinary Tribunal Secretariat and the registration of foreign lawyers in the SICC), as well as superintending and advising on the work of the various sections in the Legal Directorate of the Supreme Court.
Judiciary Administration
The Chief Executive (Office of the Chief Justice) oversees the integrated administration of the judiciary, ensuring the efficient running of the courts and provision of effective services to court users.
The integrated corporate functions of the three courts are:
Access to Justice (A2J) | Drives the judiciary’s transformation into a more outward-facing, user-centric organisation, through A2J advocacy, policy, planning, projects in partnership with stakeholders, and scaling up of best practices across all courts. |
Communications and Service Excellence | Oversees the planning and execution of public engagement and communication efforts to position the SG Courts as a forward thinking, innovative and trusted judiciary. Facilitates equal and continuous access to justice through effective public service delivery. |
Corporate Services | Oversees the SG Courts’ human resources, security, record management (for non-court records) and administrative functions as well as the respective libraries at the Supreme Court and State Courts. |
Finance and Procurement | Promotes proper stewardship of the SG Courts’ financial resources, through the implementation of frameworks that promote financial prudence, value-for-money practices and financial accountability. |
Infrastructure and Court Resources | Strategises and optimises the use of space, technology and resources that best support court hearings and operations to create an excellent court experience for all court users. The Division comprises the Building Infrastructure Department, Court Infrastructure Department and Language Resources Department. |
Innovation, Technology and Transformation | Coordinates and drives transformation to achieve consistency and to develop new approaches for the work of the judiciary; oversees the acquisition and deployment of technology in the judiciary. |
Internal Audit | Adopts a risk-based approach to evaluate the adequacy of internal control systems, to enhance and protect organisational values, provide objective assurance, advice and insight, whilst ensuring compliance with government regulations, procedures and sound governance practices. |
International Relations | Supports SG Courts’ international engagements on the bilateral, regional and multilateral fronts. Promotes effective and coherent responses to global threats through collaboration between judiciaries, dialogues, and the sharing of best practices. |
Knowledge Management Office | Advocates knowledge as a strategic asset for the entire judiciary through the establishment and implementation of common standards and policies in knowledge management to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices across the courts. |
Judicial Policy | Advances the SG Court’s position as a thought leader in court excellence through policy formulation, strategic planning, and international engagement. |
Singapore Judicial College
The Singapore Judicial College is an institute for higher judicial learning that aspires not only to successfully impart the necessary competencies and skills required of a judge today, but also a key centre for articulating the vision of the Singapore Judiciary and its defining values.
With its family of judges, academics, as well as allied learning and development specialists, the College – established under the Supreme Court of Singapore – empowers judges to realise the judiciary’s vision and operate a justice system that delivers on its ideals to all its users:
Sources:
https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/who-we-are/role-structure-supreme-court/structure, https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/singapore-judicial-college/vision-mission
The Supreme Court is part of the court system in Singapore that upholds the law and ensures justice is accessible to all. It has judicial power to hear both criminal and civil matters.
The courts within the Supreme Court deal with the following types of cases:
Court of Appeal |
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Appellate Division of the High Court |
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General Division of the High Court | Both criminal and civil cases commenced in the General Division, which include:
Matters which must be commenced in the General Division, which include:
Appeals and other matters such as:
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Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) | International commercial disputes, such as:
Cases may be commenced in the SICC or transferred from the General Division to the SICC. |
Source:
https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/who-we-are/role-structure-supreme-court
The Supreme Court of Judicature Act (“SCJA”) sets out the constitution and powers of the Supreme Court. Section 3 SCJA provides that the General Division of the High Court, the Appellate Division of the High Court and the Court of Appeal are superior courts of record.