The Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) was established on 5 January 2015. [1]
The idea to create the SICC was mooted by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon at the Opening of Legal Year 2013, with a key feature being the internationalisation of the court. [2] [3]
Soon thereafter on 13 May 2013, a committee was formed and co-chaired by Senior Minister of State for Law, and Education Indranee Rajah and Judge of Appeal V. K. Rajah comprising eminent international and local lawyers and legal experts was officially constituted to study the viability of the developing a framework for the establishment of the SICC.
The Report of the Singapore International Commercial Court Committee was released on 29 November 2019. [4] A public consultation was soon conducted between 3 December 2013 and 31 January 2014.
The framework for the establishment of the SICC was finalised in the fourth quarter of 214, and on 5 January 2015, saw the birth of the Singapore International Commercial Court. [5] A key feature of the court is the inclusion of international judges. [6]
The court served as an inspiration for the creation of the China International Commercial Court. [7]
The SICC is a division of the Singapore High Court and part of the Supreme Court of Singapore. All appeals from the SICC will be heard by the Court of Appeal of Singapore. Singapore High Court Judges and International Judges of the Supreme Court may be designated by the Chief Justice to hear cases in the SICC. The Chief Justice and Judges of Appeal may also hear cases in the SICC. The Chief Justice and Judges of Appeal, including Judges, Senior Judges and International Judges designated by the Chief Justice, may hear appeals from the SICC. [8] There are 17 International Judges from both civil and common law countries around the world.
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Under the Constitution of Singapore, the judicial system of Singapore is divided into the Supreme Court which comprises the Court of Appeal and the High Court, and the subordinate courts, namely the State Courts and Family Justice Courts.
The Supreme Court of Singapore is a set of courts in Singapore, comprising the Court of Appeal and the High Court. It 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 court subordinate to the High Court, which has been reserved by the High Court for decision of the Court of Appeal.
The High Court of Singapore is the lower division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the upper division being the Court of Appeal. The High Court consists of the chief justice and the judges of the High Court. Judicial Commissioners are often appointed to assist with the Court's caseload. There are two specialist commercial courts, the Admiralty Court and the Intellectual Property Court, and a number of judges are designated to hear arbitration-related matters. In 2015, the Singapore International Commercial Court was established as part of the Supreme Court of Singapore, and is a division of the High Court. The other divisions of the high court are the General Division, the Appellate Division, and the Family Division. The seat of the High Court is the Supreme Court Building.
The Court of Appeal of Singapore is the highest court in the judicial system of Singapore. It is the upper division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the lower being the High Court. The Court of Appeal consists of the chief justice, who is the president of the Court, and the judges of the Court of Appeal. The chief justice may ask judges of the High Court to sit as members of the Court of Appeal to hear particular cases. The seat of the Court of Appeal is the Supreme Court Building.
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