Walter Woon

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Walter Woon
SC
温长明
5th Attorney-General of Singapore
In office
11 April 2008 10 April 2010

[W]hen it comes to implementation [of human rights], there will be arguments about where the lines are to be drawn. And when there are new so-called rights, then there has to be debate – is it really a right? ... Just because some Western societies have accepted it, doesn't make it a human right. ... Many of these fanatics think: 'We've decided that this is human rights, therefore when Singapore does something, we're entitled to criticise them.' I say rubbish. You want to do it in your society, do it in your society. Don't come and tell us you draw the line for the rest of the world." [4] [33]

In mid-May, Woon commented that an acquitted person may not be guilty in law, but guilty in fact. Two months later, without referring directly to these remarks, Judge of Appeal V.K. Rajah wrote in a judgment that such comments could undermine confidence in the courts' verdicts and the criminal justice system, which was based on the doctrine of the presumption of innocence. [34] The Minister for Law K. Shanmugam was asked in Parliament on 25 August 2008 to clarify the Attorney-General's comments. Shanmugam described the presumption of innocence as an "important and fundamental principle" which the Government was "absolutely committed to upholding". Nonetheless, it was "entirely possible for a person to have committed acts which amount to a crime and yet, there may be no conviction", as the trial process was designed to prove guilt and not innocence. He added: "It is for the courts, and the courts alone, to exercise judicial power and decide the question of guilt, in a trial." [35]

With effect from 20 May 2008, Woon was appointed a director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. [36] He also served on the Presidential Council for Minority Rights between 2008 and 2010. [27]

The Attorney-General's Chambers were formerly located in The Adelphi on Coleman Street The Adelphi.JPG
The Attorney-General's Chambers were formerly located in The Adelphi on Coleman Street

Woon was the first Attorney-General in more than ten years to personally appear in court. On 28 July 2008, he argued before the Court of Appeal that a woman, 24-year-old Aniza bte Essa, who had manipulated her 17-year-old teenage lover Muhammad Nasir bin Abdul Aziz into killing her husband should be given a life sentence. [37] The Court held that life imprisonment was inappropriate due to the defendant's psychiatric condition, and affirmed the nine-year jail term imposed by the High Court. [38] Nasir was detained indefinitely at the President's Pleasure for murder instead of receiving the death sentence as he was below 18 years old at the time he killed Manap bin Sarlip (Aniza's husband) and thus cannot be sentenced to hang under Singapore law. Woon elected to take proceedings against Tang Wee Sung, chairman of the company C.K. Tang which owns Tangs department store, for the illegal purchase of a human organ – a kidney  – in the first case of its kind in Singapore. [39] The decision to do so was criticised by Dr. Lee Wei Ling, Director of the National Neuroscience Institute and daughter of Minister Mentor and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in an article published in The Straits Times on 5 September 2008. [40] Woon replied, pointing out a number of misconceptions she held as to the facts and the law, and emphasising that the prosecution had been brought as no one was above the law. [41] Subsequently, in response to further comments by Dr. Lee, [42] he wrote an extended article entitled "Wrong Facts and Faulty Logic" that appeared in The Straits Times on 18 September 2008. [43]

He also prosecuted a number of contempt of court cases, including suits against Dow Jones Publishing Company (Asia), Inc. for material published in The Wall Street Journal Asia ; [44] against US-based lawyer Gopalan Nair for comments on his blog; [45] and against three Singapore Democratic Party supporters, John Tan Liang Joo, Isrizal bin Mohamed Isa and Muhammad Shafi'ie Syahmi bin Sariman, who wore T-shirts bearing the image of a kangaroo dressed in a judge's gown outside the Supreme Court Building. [46] On 15 March 2010, in one of his last cases before his term of office ended, he defended the constitutionality of capital punishment in Singapore before the Court of Appeal in an appeal by Yong Vui Kong, a Malaysian who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking. [47]

At the third annual Singapore Children's Society Lecture entitled "Changing Social Mores: Protecting Children from Themselves?" on 31 October 2009, Woon expressed the view that prosecuting teenagers from having underage sex with each other served little purpose. "It's basically kids having sex ... What do you do if the couple think they're in love? It's less easy if the girl consents. ... The judges cannot do very much by themselves. Sending them [the teenagers] to jail per se will not make them reflect on their lives. That is the last thing that is going to happen. But good or ill, this is the framework that we have." [48]

Woon established a new division in the Attorney-General's Chambers for the prosecution of cases in the Subordinate Courts of Singapore to enhance the development of criminal litigation skills, and recruited a number of young and talented lawyers into the Singapore Legal Service. In 2008 he hosted the International Association of Prosecutors Conference in Singapore. He also assisted in the setting up of the Centre for International Law at NUS to improve international law expertise in Singapore and the region. He was Singapore's alternate representative on the High Level Task Force for the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter, a key constitutional document for ASEAN, which was signed in November 2007. [8] Subsequently, he co-authored a book entitled The Making of the ASEAN Charter (2009). [49]

Woon stepped down as Attorney-General on 10 April 2010 after a two-year term. In a media interview, he said that the post "was not a job I really wanted or enjoyed. I did it because I was asked to do the job. So I did my best under the circumstances with what I had." [50] When asked whether he had "annoyed the powers that be", he said:

It's not unlikely that I have. Look, to be fair, nobody called me in the middle of the night to say you must do this, you must do that. ... Whether or not they're happy with me – this one you've got to ask PM [Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ]. This is a mutual parting of the ways. Best to leave before you outstay your welcome, although I think amongst some people, I've already outstayed my welcome. [50] [51]

He subsequently clarified that when he said he had outstayed his welcome he had been "thinking more about the people I prosecuted rather than anything else", and that "I was kidding, I was being facetious". [52]

Return to academia

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law at the university's Bukit Timah Campus, which Woon rejoined full-time in 2010 Eu Tong Sen Building, Block B and Upper Quadrangle, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore.jpg
The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law at the university's Bukit Timah Campus, which Woon rejoined full-time in 2010

Woon returned to academia at NUS, and was appointed the first Dean of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE), a company incorporated by the Singapore Academy of Law on 18 January 2010 to manage the postgraduate practical training of graduates from local and overseas universities seeking admission to the Singapore Bar, training contracts, and continuing legal education for practising lawyers. [53] He has denied any intention to enter politics – "Why would I leave one hot seat to jump into another hot seat? I've said for years that I would want to go back to my natural habitat eventually. Why wouldn't anyone believe me?" – although when asked if he had forever ruled out a political career, he said: "Forever is a long time but definitely not now." [54] Subsequently, he reiterated in a Today interview: "I am not a politician and I am not interested in politics and have no desire to go into politics. I do not know why people do not believe me when I say so. I have said it a thousand times but people do not seem to believe me." [55]

Woon is currently Chairman of the Singapore International Law Society (since 2006), Judge Advocate General (since 2007), and President of the Goethe Institute Singapore (since 2010). [27] In 2015, Woon joined RHTLaw TaylorWessing LLP, one of the few largest law firms in Singapore, as its non-executive Chairman and Senior Consultant.

In September 2017, Woon wrote a piece in The Straits Times illuminating how the office of the Attorney-General carries out its prosecutorial function, and suggesting that this could be separated from its other role as legal advisor to the Government. [56]

Fiction writing

Woon won a consolation prize for a short story called The Body in Question which he submitted for the 1985 National Short Story Writing Competition. [57] In 2002, he published his first novel, The Advocate's Devil. [58] This was followed three years later by The Devil to Pay (2005). Both books are crime novels set in 1930s Singapore with Dennis Chiang, an English-educated Peranakan lawyer, as the protagonist. Woon has said that fiction writing was "something I did on the side when I got tired of writing non-fiction". [1] A reviewer of The Advocate's Devil commented: "That the author is a lawyer first and promising novelist second is most glaring in the language used in Devil. ... This must be the first made-in-Singapore whodunnit that needs to be read with a dictionary at hand." Although the protagonist Chiang's "view of human beings other than himself is patronising at best" and might leave readers with a "rather sour aftertaste", the novel's "light touches of romance and compassion do much to lift the storyline" and had "masterful pacing". [59] The final installment featuring Dennis Chiang, The Devil's Circle, was published in 2011. In 2021, The Devil's Circle was adapted into a fifteen episode television series, This Land is Mine, with Pierre Png portraying Dennis Chiang and Rebecca Lim as Dennis' cousin June Chiang. [60]

Selected works

Non-fiction

Articles

  • "Precedents that Bind – A Gordian Knot: Stare Decisis in the Federal Court of Malaysia and the Court of Appeal, Singapore", Malaya Law Review, 24: 1–25, 1982.
  • "Ultra Vires and Corporate Capacity in Singapore", Singapore Academy of Law Journal, 1: 52–67, 1989.
  • "Some check is better than no check: Walter Woon reflects on opposition politics in Singapore", The Straits Times, 29 November 1990.
  • "Protecting the Minority Shareholder", Singapore Academy of Law Journal, 4: 123–132, 1992.
  • Woon, Walter (1993), "The Scripless Trading System in Singapore", International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 1 (1): 77–89, doi:10.1093/ijlit/1.1.77 .
  • "Regulation of the Securities Industry in Singapore", Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal , 4: 731–755, 1995.
  • "Crime and Punishment: The Problems of Sentencing", Singapore Law Review, 27: 1–11, 2009.

Book chapters

  • Woon, Walter (c. 1980), "Protection of Shareholders and Investors", Papers on Duties & Liabilities of Company Directors in Public Listed Companies, Singapore: Professional Resources Agency.
  • Woon, Walter; Chew, Margaret; Tjio, Hans (1986), "Securities Regulation in Singapore", in Rosen, Robert C. [et al.] (ed.), International Securities Regulation, [Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.]: Oceana Publications, ISBN   978-0-379-20825-2 .
  • Woon, Walter (1994), "Nominated MPs: Some Check is Better than No Check [ch. 3]", in da Cunha, Derek (ed.), Debating Singapore: Reflective Essays, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, pp. 15–18, ISBN   978-981-3016-82-8
  • Woon, Walter (1997), "Securities Regulation [ch. 7]", in Chong, Amelyn (ed.), The Business Guide to Singapore , Singapore: Butterworth-Heinemann Asia, pp.  138–164, ISBN   978-981-00-6793-9 .
  • Woon, Walter (1997), "Singapore", in Tan, Poh-Ling (ed.), Asian Legal Systems: Law, Society, and Pluralism in East Asia, Sydney: Butterworths, ISBN   978-0-409-31008-5 .
  • Woon, Walter (1999), "The Applicability of English Law in Singapore [ch. 6] and The Doctrine of Judicial Precedent [ch. 8]", in Tan, Kevin Y L (ed.), The Singapore Legal System (2nd ed.), Singapore: Singapore University Press, pp. 230–248 and 297–323, ISBN   978-9971-69-212-4 .

Books

Fiction

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Rajan Chettiar (April 2003), "Roving ambassador", Singapore Law Gazette, archived from the original on 1 January 2006, retrieved 17 April 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Appointment of Singapore's Ambassador to The Kingdom of Belgium and Singapore's Ambassador to The Federal Republic of Germany, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 August 2003, archived from the original on 2 March 2012, retrieved 16 April 2010.
  3. Ravi Veloo (11 October 1992), "The calm behind the storm", The Straits Times.
  4. 1 2 Lydia Lim (4 July 2008), "'Human rights' label often abused", The Straits Times (reproduced on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website), archived from the original on 2 March 2012.
  5. Giving Strength to Our Nation: The SAF and Its People (PDF). Ministry of Defence. pp. 344–347.
  6. K.C. Vijayan (17 April 2008), "Walter Woon, the 'accidental' lawyer", The Straits Times.
  7. Professor Woon Cheong Ming Walter (consultant), Yeo-Leong & Peh LLC, 2003, archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Advisory Board member: Professor Walter Woon, SC, Singapore Management University, 27 June 2008, archived from the original on 25 May 2008, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  9. "Alumni News: Singapore" (PDF), Johnian News (24 (Michaelmas Term 2008)): 3, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2013, St John's hosted its first alumni event in Singapore on Tuesday 2 September at The Arts House – Singapore's first court house and former parliament house. ... Professor Walter Woon (LLM 1983), Attorney General of Singapore, toasted the College and spoke of his appreciation of the all-round education that he received at St John's and its individual approach to the teaching of every student.
  10. Walter C.M. Woon (1988), Company Law, Singapore: Longman Singapore Publishers, ISBN   978-9971-89-959-2 .
  11. "Elected President should sever all links with political parties", The Straits Times, 16 November 1990. The report of the Select Committee was published as Report of the Select Committee on the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 3) Bill (Bill No. 23/90) [Parl. 9 of 1990], Singapore: Printed for the Government of Singapore by the Singapore National Printers, 1990.
  12. Sumiko Tan (6 July 1991), "Stand up and be quoted", The Straits Times, p. 28.
  13. "Not a Charter? Ridiculous!", The Straits Times, p. 22, 8 July 1991.
  14. Tan Soo Khoon ( Speaker of Parliament )," Nominated Members of Parliament (Announcement by Mr. Speaker) ",Singapore Parliamentary Debates, Official Report (14 September 1992), vol. 60, col. 175; Tan Soo Khoon," Nominated Members of Parliament (Announcement by Mr. Speaker) ",Singapore Parliamentary Debates, Official Report (31 October 1994), vol. 63, col. 598; Tan Soo Khoon," Nominated Members of Parliament (Announcement by Mr. Speaker) ",Singapore Parliamentary Debates, Official Report (1 October 1996), vol. 66, col. 562. See also Anna Teo (2 September 1992), "Two leading businessmen among six to be NMPs", Business Times , Singapore; "Six people selected to be NMPs", The Straits Times, 2 September 1992; Chua Mui Hoong; Ng Wei Joo; Maria Siow (2 September 1992), "Group made up of diverse individuals and ideas", The Straits Times; Chua Mui Hoong; Ng Wei Joo; Maria Siow (2 September 1992), "The six chosen ones – who they are and what they hope to do", The Straits Times; Zuraidah Ibrahim (8 September 1992), "Six new NMPs officially appointed", The Straits Times; Tan Sai Siong (3 July 1994), "NMP scheme a success thanks to Walter Woon and Kanwaljit Soin", The Straits Times.
  15. G. Pierre Goad (28 October 1992), "Singapore's language drive stirs an energetic debate over values", The Asian Wall Street Journal , p. 1.
  16. Walter Woon (13 September 1992), "Good values can be passed on in any language", The Straits Times. George Yeo responded in Yeo (20 September 1992), "Values are passed on by ideas as well as emotions", The Straits Times.
  17. "9 MPs picked for panel to review Companies Bill", The Straits Times, 30 September 1992. The Select Committee's report was published as Report of the Select Committee on the Companies (Amendment) Bill (Bill No. 33/92) [Parl. 2 of 1993], Singapore: Printed for the Government of Singapore by the Singapore National Printers, 1993.
  18. Maintenance of Parents Act( Cap. 167B,1996 Rev. Ed. ).
  19. Sue-Ann Chia (11 March 2010), "Know the past to tackle the future", The Straits Times, p. B14. The first ever Act since 1965 originating from a private member's bill was the Roman Catholic Archbishop Bill introduced by P. Selvadurai and Chiang Hai Ding in 1974 and passed the following year as the Roman Catholic Archbishop Act (now Cap. 375,1985 Rev. Ed.). This was a private act, not a public one: Chia, ibid. See also Walter Woon (28 June 1994), "Honor thy father and mother – or else", The Wall Street Journal , p. A18; "Govt gives backing to Parents Bill", The Straits Times, 27 July 1994; Walter Woon (11 August 1994), "Family matters", Far Eastern Economic Review , p. 30; "Parents maintenance bill passed", The Straits Times, 3 November 1995.
  20. "Walter Woon makes Time list of 100 young world leaders", Business Times, Singapore, 29 November 1994.
  21. [1995] 1 S.L.R.(R) [Singapore Law Reports (Reissue)] 803.
  22. "Walter Woon named envoy to Germany", The Straits Times, 7 January 1998; Yang Razali Kassim (20 January 1998), "Switching from critic to diplomat", Business Times, Singapore; "Walter Woon on envoy role", Business Times, Singapore, 20 January 1998; "Helping the world to understand S'pore better: Walter Woon on his role as envoy", The Straits Times, 21 January 1998.
  23. MFA press statement: Appointment of Singapore's Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 October 2003, archived from the original on 2 March 2012, retrieved 16 April 2010; "New envoy to Holland", The Straits Times, 21 October 2003.
  24. Pope John Paul II (12 December 2003), Address of John Paul II to H.E. Mr. Walter Woon, new Ambassador of Singapore accredited to the Holy See, The Vatican: Holy See, archived from the original on 6 November 2005, retrieved 17 April 2010.
  25. Extraordinary missions representing states and international and supranational organizations in the funeral mass of His Holiness John Paul II, The Vatican: Holy See, 8 April 2005, archived from the original on 19 February 2008, retrieved 18 April 2010.
  26. Pope John Paul II buried in Vatican crypt: Millions around the world watch funeral, CNN, 9 April 2005, archived from the original on 16 March 2008, retrieved 18 April 2010.
  27. 1 2 3 Academic profiles: WOON Cheong Ming, Walter, S.C., Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, archived from the original on 17 August 2010, retrieved 20 April 2012.
  28. K.C. Vijayan (25 September 2006), "Walter Woon joins A-G's Chambers as Solicitor-Gen", The Straits Times; Professor Walter Woon appointed Second Solicitor-General of Singapore, WWLegal.com, archived from the original on 13 April 2010, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  29. Sara Lim (10 April 2008), "Nathan makes key legal appointments", Business Times, Singapore.
  30. Advisory Board, Singapore Management University, 13 April 2010, archived from the original on 28 March 2010, retrieved 18 April 2010.
  31. Now the Companies Act( Cap. 50,2006 Rev. Ed. ): see MOF reviewing Companies Act for greater accountability and transparency, Channel NewsAsia, 20 February 2008; "Revision to Companies Act will not have overly prescribed rules", The Straits Times, 4 March 2008.
  32. Ben Nadarajan; Chong Chee Kin (10 April 2008), "Walter Woon takes over as A-G tomorrow: Outgoing A-G Chao Hick Tin to resume Judge of Appeal post" (PDF), The Straits Times, archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011; Leong Wee Keat (10 April 2008), "S'pore gets first female Solicitor-General; Koh Juat Jong takes over from Walter Woon, who is new AG", Today, p. 6; Ansley Ng (12 April 2008), "'Groomed' to be AG; Hands on and on his feet, that's Walter Woon", Today, p. 6.
  33. See also Chong Chee Kin (31 May 2008), "A-G cautions against human rights becoming a 'religion' with fanatics", The Straits Times; "Do not confuse politics with the law: Singapore's new Attorney-General", Today, p. 8, 30 May 2008; Constance Singam (6 June 2008), "Human-rights 'fanatics' is what S'pore needs [letter]", The Straits Times; Walter Woon (9 June 2008), "Human rights key to good governance but ... [letter]", The Straits Times; Walter Woon (9 June 2008), "'No one solution': A balance has to be struck between individual rights and overall good of society", The Straits Times.
  34. XP v. Public Prosecutor [2008] 4 S.L.R.(R) 686 at para. 98, High Court: "The question for the court in every case is not whether it suspects the accused has committed the crime but whether the Prosecution has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he has indeed committed it. It is trite that courts can never convict on the basis of suspicion and/or intuition. Such is the conclusion demanded by and enshrined in that cardinal principle, the presumption of innocence, upon which is founded the most elemental rule of the criminal justice system: that the Prosecution must establish guilt beyond any reasonable doubt. Objective and not subjective belief is the essential touchstone of guilt, and there is simply no place for subsequent speculation or implication that an acquitted accused may be 'factually guilty'." See also K.C. Vijayan (12 July 2008), "Judge: No question of 'factual guilt' after acquittal: Justice V.K. Rajah takes issue with Govt's position on guilt and innocence", The Straits Times.
  35. K.C. Vijayan (26 August 2008), "Govt defends A-G's stand on acquittals: Law Minister reiterates that 'not guilty in law' does not mean 'innocent'", The Straits Times.
  36. "Walter Woon named to MAS board", The Straits Times, 21 May 2008.
  37. Woon represented the State four times in court when he was Second Solicitor-General and Solicitor-General: Selina Lum (28 July 2008), "A-G to make rare court appearance today: He is expected to seek life term for woman who got teen to kill hubby", The Straits Times; Selina Lum (29 July 2008), "A-G seeks life for woman who plotted hubby's killing", The Straits Times; "When the chief prosecutor of the state goes to court to personally argue a case ...", Today, p. 6, 2 August 2008.
  38. Public Prosecutor v. Aniza bte Essa [2009] 3 S.L.R.(R) 327, Court of Appeal. The High Court's decision was reported as Public Prosecutor v. Aniza bte Essa [2008] 3 S.L.R.(R) 832.
  39. Tang was convicted of agreeing to pay for the supply of a kidney and sentenced to a fine of S$7,000; and for making false statements in a statutory declaration, for which he received one day's imprisonment and a $10,000 fine: Public Prosecutor v. Tang Wee Sung [2008] SGDC 262.
  40. Lee Wei Ling (5 September 2008), "Why mete out even a 'token sentence'?", The Straits Times.
  41. "Tang case: No one is above the law" (PDF), The Straits Times (reproduced on the Attorney-General's Chambers website), 9 September 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2011, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  42. Lee Wei Ling (10 September 2008), "Why a jail term shouldn't have been sought", The Straits Times.
  43. Walter Woon (18 September 2008), "Wrong facts and faulty logic", The Straits Times. A longer version is available on the website of the Attorney-General's Chambers as Walter Woon (18 September 2008), Justice, Compassion and Prosecutorial Discretion (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2010, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  44. Attorney-General v. Hertzberg Daniel and others [2009] 1 S.L.R.(R) 1103, High Court. The submissions tendered by the Attorney-General's Chambers may be accessed at Walter Woon (31 October 2008), Attorney-General v. Hertzberg Daniel: Attorney-General's Submissions (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2009, retrieved 16 April 2010. See also Sue-ann Chia (5 November 2008), "A-G draws the line on freedom of speech", The Straits Times; Zakir Hussain (5 November 2008), "AG asks for deterrent fine for newspaper", The Straits Times; Leong Wee Keat (5 November 2008), "25 years of axe-grinding; WSJA counters: Newspapers don't wage such campaigns", Today, p. 6; Zakir Hussain (26 November 2008), "WSJ Asia publisher fined $25,000", The Straits Times; Leong Wee Keat (26 November 2008), "Heaviest fine for contempt of court", Today, p. 1.
  45. See Media background brief: Contempt of court proceedings against Gopalan Nair (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, 12 November 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2010, retrieved 16 April 2010, and the Attorney-General's submissions to the court at Jeffrey Wah Teck Chan (12 November 2008), Attorney-General v. Gopalan Nair: Submissions of the Attorney-General (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2010, retrieved 16 April 2010.
  46. Attorney-General v. Tan Liang Joo John and others [2009] 2 S.L.R.(R) 1132, High Court: see Media background brief: Contempt of court proceedings against Tan Liang Joo John, Isrizal bin Mohamed Isa and Muhammad Shafi'ie Syahmi bin Sariman (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, 27 November 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2009, retrieved 16 April 2010.
  47. Yong Vui Kong v. Public Prosecutor [2010] 3 S.L.R. 489, C.A. The submissions tendered by the Attorney-General's Chambers may be accessed at Walter Woon (5 March 2010), Yong Vui Kong v. Public Prosecutor: Respondent's Arguments (PDF), Attorney-General's Chambers, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2010, retrieved 13 April 2010. See also Afua Hirsch (15 March 2010), "Heroin smuggler challenges Singapore death sentence: Lawyers for Yong Vui Kong argue country's policy of mandatory execution in drug cases is a breach of human rights", The Guardian ; "Death row appeal: Apex court reserves decision", The Straits Times, 16 March 2010; Ong Dai Lin (16 March 2010), "'Clemency not matter for judiciary': Court metes sentences within parameters set by Parliament: AG", Today, p. 2, archived from the original on 22 March 2010.
  48. Shuli Sudderuddin (1 November 2009), "When teens have consensual sex ...: Such cases involving teens who are in love are hard to prosecute, says Attorney-General", The Straits Times.
  49. Statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Office, 3 March 2010, archived from the original on 7 April 2010, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  50. 1 2 Zakir Hussain; K.C. Vijayan (13 April 2010), "Longest two years of my life", The Straits Times, pp. A1 & A6. See also K.C. Vijayan (4 March 2010), "A-G Walter Woon to step down", The Straits Times; Zul Othman (4 March 2010), "AG Walter Woon to step down in April", Today , archived from the original on 17 April 2010; Leong Wee Keat (13 April 2010), "They don't call me late night to tell me who to prosecute", Today, p. 1, archived from the original on 13 April 2010; Leong Wee Keat (13 April 2010), "They were the longest two years of my life: Former AG Walter Woon", Today, p. 4, archived from the original on 13 April 2010; Leong Wee Keat (13 April 2010), "The hardest part was finding good people", Today, p. 4, archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
  51. See also P.N. Balji (19 April 2010), "An opportunity missed?: What Walter Woon's interview says of change in Singapore", Today, p. 12, archived from the original on 22 April 2010, retrieved 19 April 2010.
  52. Eugene Wee; Tay Shi'an (23 April 2010), "What's the story, Prof Woon?: Former Attorney-General Walter Woon answers rumours that have been swirling around him on his exit", The New Paper , pp. 2–4; "I was just kidding, says Walter Woon", Weekend Today , p. 6, 24–25 April 2010, archived from the original on 26 April 2010, retrieved 24 April 2010. For comment, see M. Lukshumayeh (26 April 2010), "Enough already, Mr Woon: Former AG's comments beg even more questions", Today, p. 11, archived from the original on 29 April 2010, retrieved 26 April 2010.
  53. Professor Walter Woon appointed first Dean of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education, Singapore Academy of Law, 3 March 2010, archived from the original on 19 July 2011, retrieved 13 April 2010.
  54. Kor Kian Beng (6 March 2010), "Politics? Not now", The Straits Times.
  55. Conrad Raj (27 May 2010), "Former AG to shake up how criminal law is taught: Walter Woon on injecting realism into law studies, luring top lawyers into academia", Today, p. 4, archived from the original on 30 May 2010.
  56. hermes (29 September 2017). "The public prosecutor, politics and the rule of law". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  57. Tess Wong (19 August 2002), "Turning to a life of crime", The Straits Times. The National Library holds an unpublished microfilm copy shelved at NL27697.
  58. "Advocate of Baba culture", Business Times, Singapore, 17 August 2002.
  59. Cheong Suk-Wai (14 September 2002), "A Devil of a murder tale", The Straits Times.
  60. "Film and TV Picks: S'pore works on Netflix, new local drama This Land Is Mine, Ted Lasso 2". The Straits Times. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court of Appeal of Singapore</span> Supreme appellate court of Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National University of Singapore Faculty of Law</span> Law school in Singapore

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law is Singapore's oldest law school. NUS Law was initially established in 1956 as the Department of Law in the University of Malaya, and subsequently, University of Singapore. After its establishment, NUS Law was Singapore's only law school for half a century, until the subsequent establishment of the SMU School of Law in 2007 and the SUSS School of Law in 2017. NUS Law is currently located at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus. The current dean of NUS Law is Andrew Simester. Internationally, NUS Law has been ranked twelfth by the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2024 and eleventh by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. K. Rajah</span>

Vijaya Kumar Rajah is a Singaporean lawyer who served as the eighth attorney-general of Singapore between 2014 and 2017. Prior to his appointment as attorney-general, he served as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Singapore between 2007 and 2014, and a judge of the High Court of Singapore between 2004 and 2007.

Hri Kumar Nair is a Singaporean lawyer and former politician who has been serving as Judge of the High Court of Singapore since 2023. A former member of the People's Action Party, he was the Member of Parliament representing the Thomson division of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC between 2006 and 2015. He was also a former Deputy Attorney-General of Singapore between 2017 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penal Code (Singapore)</span> Criminal code of Singapore

The Penal Code 1871 sets out general principles of the criminal law of Singapore, as well as the elements and penalties of general criminal offences such as assault, criminal intimidation, mischief, grievous hurt, theft, extortion, sex crimes and cheating. The Penal Code does not define and list exhaustively all the criminal offences applicable in Singapore – a large number of these are created by other statutes such as the Arms Offences Act, Kidnapping Act, Misuse of Drugs Act and Vandalism Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore</span>

The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the State Courts to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases and, in criminal matters, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences if they are convicted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attorney-General of Singapore</span> Public prosecutor and legal advisor to the government of Singapore

The attorney-general of Singapore is the public prosecutor of the Republic of Singapore and legal adviser to the Government of Singapore. The attorney-general is the head of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), whose staff carries out the functions of the attorney-general. The attorney-general is appointed by the president, on the advice of the prime minister, under Article 35 of the Constitution of Singapore. Unlike some countries that follow the Westminster parliamentary model, the attorney-general is not a Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. S. Sinnathuray</span> Singaporean judge

Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray, known professionally as T. S. Sinnathuray and to his friends as Sam Sinnathuray, was a judge of the High Court of Singapore. Educated at University College London and called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, he practised for a few years in a law firm before beginning a career with the Singapore Legal Service, serving with the Attorney-General's Chambers as Crown Counsel and deputy public prosecutor (1960–1963), and senior state counsel (1966–1967); with the Subordinate Courts as a magistrate (1956–1959), first district judge (1967–1970), and senior district judge (1971–1978); and with the Supreme Court as deputy registrar and sheriff (1959–1960), and registrar (1963–1966). In 1978 he was elevated to the office of Judge of the High Court of Singapore, and served until his retirement in 1997.

Adrian Tan Gim Hai was a Singaporean lawyer and author. Known for writing the Teenage Textbook series of books in the 1980s, he was the 27th president of the Law Society of Singapore and a partner at TSMP Law Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundaresh Menon</span> Singaporean judge (born 1962)

Sundaresh Menon is a Singaporean lawyer and judge who has been serving as Chief Justice of Singapore since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sivakant Tiwari</span>

Sivakant Tiwari, P.P.A.(E.), P.B.S., P.P.A.(E.)(L.), P.J.G., known professionally as S. Tiwari, was a senior legal officer of the Singapore Legal Service. He was educated at the University of Singapore, graduating in law in 1971. He then made the Legal Service his career, serving as head of the Ministry of Defence's legal department (1974), and head of the Attorney-General's Chambers' Civil Division (1987) and International Affairs Division (1995). He was lead counsel in three significant commissions of inquiry arising out of fatal incidents in the 1970s and 1980s. A skilled negotiator, Tiwari was a member of the Singapore delegation which dealt with the United States – Singapore Free Trade Agreement signed in 2003, and served as legal adviser to the delegation which established diplomatic relations between Singapore and the People's Republic of China. He was also on Singapore's legal team in a case concluded in 2003 that had been brought by Malaysia to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for provisional measures against alleged damage to its territorial waters due to land reclamation by Singapore, and in the territorial dispute with Malaysia over Pedra Branca before the International Court of Justice in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tan Boon Teik</span>

Tan Boon Teik was a Singaporean judge who served as the second attorney-general of Singapore between 1969 and 1992. At the age of 39, Tan was the youngest person to be appointed as attorney-general, and was the longest-serving attorney-general after the Independence of Singapore, after 25 years in office.

Tan Yock Lin was a Singaporean law professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He was known for his numerous texts on conflict-of-law, criminal procedure, and the legal profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucien Wong</span>

Lucien Wong Yuen Kuai is a Singaporean lawyer who has been serving as the ninth attorney-general of Singapore since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M Ravi</span> Singaporean lawyer

Ravi Madasamy, better known as M Ravi, is a Singaporean former human rights lawyer and activist. Known for his work as a cause lawyer, he has acted in multiple leading cases in Singaporean constitutional law and human rights.

References

Further reading

Walter Woon
Simplified Chinese 温长明
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Wēn Chángmíng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Wan1 Coeng4 Ming4
Preceded by Attorney-General of Singapore
11 April 2008 – 10 April 2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Solicitor-General of Singapore
2 July 2007 – 10 April 2008
Succeeded by