Annual Report 2005/2006 - Attorney
Transcription
Annual Report 2005/2006 - Attorney
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singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore Attorney-Gener al’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 “D espite the many changes that AGC has undergone, one thing remains unchanged – our mission to faithfully discharge our obligations under the Constitution by providing the best legal advice to the Government and faithfully executing the duties of the Public Prosecutor. ” CHAO HICK TIN attorney-general Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore contents 02 Attorney-General’s Foreword 04 Solicitor-General’s Foreword 05Second Solicitor-General’s Foreword transitions 08 Interview with Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin 10 Administrator, Advisor, Advocate, Architect, Academic : Chan Sek Keong’s legacy as the Republic’s third Attorney-General 14 Former Second Solicitor-General Lee Seiu Kin our organisation 16 AGC Organisation Chart legal divisions 20 Civil Division 22 Criminal Justice Division 24 International Affairs Division 26 Law Reform and Revision Division 28 Legislation Division Annual Report 2005/2006 support divisions 30 Corporate Services Division 31 Library and Resource Centre 32 Computer Information Systems Department events and activities 36 Inaugural Annual Event of the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam 37 Appreciation Dinner for former AG and 2SG 38 AGC Corporate Retreat 2006 38 Staff Welfare Committee Events 39 Awards 40 Workload & Finances personnel 42 List of AGC-Wide Committees 45 List of Officers in AGC 0 0 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 ATTORNEY-GENER AL’S FOREWORD I returned to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in April 2006 after a sojourn of almost 19 years. It is a familiar, yet foreign place. I began my career more than 39 years ago in AGC when it was located along Havelock Road, where the Family and Juvenile Court now stands. That was a different world. When I left AGC for the Supreme Court in 1987, it was a smaller outfit with three divisions – the Civil, Criminal Justice and Legislation Divisions. It has since evolved to its present five legal divisions, with the formation of the International Affairs Division in 1995 and the Law Reform and Revision Division in 2000. It also has a fully-functional Corporate Services Division and a technically-competent Computer Information Systems Department to provide invaluable corporate and IT support to the officers. All these changes were necessary to equip AGC with the knowledge and skills to keep pace with the ever changing geo-political and legal environment. As the complexity of the work grows, we continue to develop our officers in specialist areas such as biomedical law and information technology law. I take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to my predecessor, the Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, for handing over to me such a progressive and well-equipped organisation, ready to meet the challenges facing Singapore. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore I also welcome Professor Walter Woon, who was appointed Second Solicitor-General on 3 October 2006. Professor Woon is no stranger to us and brings with him a wealth of experience in commercial and constitutional law, and international affairs. At the same time, I should put on record my thanks to Justice Lee Seiu Kin for his many contributions to AGC, especially in the areas of civil and criminal practice and computerisation. AGC’s loss is the Supreme Court’s gain, and Justice Lee is indeed a most valuable addition to the Bench. Despite the many changes that AGC has undergone, one thing remains unchanged – our mission to faithfully discharge our obligations under the Constitution by providing the best legal advice to the Government and faithfully executing the duties of the Public Prosecutor. I thank the dedicated officers and staff for their unfailing commitment to this mission, which has seen us through a year of challenges where AGC was called on to provide legal advice on a host of difficult and complex issues, such as the completion of the written Annual Report 2005/2006 pleadings relating to the Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore). This has proved to be a most rewarding homecoming for me, and I am looking forward to a challenging year ahead. I am heartened by the support I have received from all quarters and I look forward to the continued support of the officers and staff of AGC in the years to come. CHAO HICK TIN attorney-general singapore 0 0 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 SOLICITOR-GENER AL’S FOREWORD This year has brought significant changes for AGC. We sadly bade farewell to former Attorney-General Chan Sek Keong, who was appointed as Chief Justice of the Republic of Singapore. At the same time, we were pleased and honoured to welcome our new AttorneyGeneral, Chao Hick Tin, who joined us from the Supreme Court where he was the Judge of Appeal. We were also pleased and honoured to welcome our Second Solicitor-General Professor Walter Woon, who joined us on the completion of his secondment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. AGC significantly strengthened its ties with its regional counterparts when we hosted the Inaugural Annual Event between the respective Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam in March 2006. This was the first time that the Attorney-General’s Chambers of the three countries came together for such an event. The whole of AGC was involved in this event, which provided an excellent opportunity for all of our officers to broaden their horizons and to meet our regional counterparts in a more relaxed and congenial atmosphere. I look forward to similar events in the future. As part of our constant pursuit of excellence and professional development, AGC also conducted a series of Corporate Culture Benchmarking Focus Group Discussions to obtain views from staff and officers on how to further improve the corporate culture in AGC. I was heartened to see that staff, legal service officers and senior management all came together to provide honest feedback and to address concerns that were raised. Such discussions and feedback will go a long way towards the development of our corporate culture. Ultimately, our Core Values will provide the foundation for dealing with any changes and challenges in the future. We will continue to work as a team, as we discharge our duty in enhancing the rule of law and strengthening the efficiency and integrity of Singapore’s legal system. CHAN SENG ONN solicitor-general singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 SECOND SOLICITOR-GENER AL’S FOREWORD I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve as second Solicitor-General at a time when AGC is entering a new chapter of its long and distinguished history under the leadership of the new Attorney-General. The rule of law is a crucial aspect of good governance. In this respect, Singapore has an advantage over many other countries in the world. We have managed to keep a system based on rule of law since independence. It is a principle that we should not compromise. Once lost, respect for the law cannot be rebuilt in a short time. In my diplomatic career prior to joining AGC, I saw many instances of the effect of the erosion of respect for the law. Invariably, the ones who are affected most severely by this erosion are the most vulnerable members of society. Drawing on my experience abroad, I can say that the legal system in Singapore ranks among the best. AGC plays a central role in maintaining the rule of law and the integrity of the legal system in Singapore. On a personal note, it has been my great good fortune to have met so many of the staff of AGC previously, as students, professional colleagues and friends. This has eased my transition between jobs immensely. Knowing the quality of the men and women who work in AGC, I am totally confident that the high standard of professionalism for which AGC is known will be maintained and even improved. PROFESSOR WALTER WOON CHEONG MING second solicitor-general singapore 0 0 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s 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singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore “w e need to make sure we maintain the “pioneering” spirit. in some areas, such as biomedical research, singapore aims to be a world leader and we must ensure that our legal system and laws can support this objective. to do this, we will not be able to merely mirror what other countries have done. in some cases, we will need to forge a path ahead on our own. this is a major challenge. ” CHAO HICK TIN attorney-general Annual Report 2005/2006 0 0 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 INTERVIEW WITH ATTORNEY-GENER AL CHAO HICK TIN q:you joined the attorney-general’s chambers in 1967 fresh from university and having done the bar exam. what was agc like then? A : It was a different world then. Singapore had gained her independence from Malaysia only two years earlier. AGC was a much smaller outfit, with only about 25 legal officers. Even at the time when I left AGC to join the Supreme Court in 1987, there were only 42 of us. In 1967, all of us were very young. The Head of Civil Division, to which I belonged, was only of seven years’ standing. There were no personal computers, no fax machines. Everything had to be done manually. Our submissions were typed by typists – we did not have the luxury of making mistakes and changing the drafts over and over again. I felt so guilty each time when I had to ask the typist to retype. It is unimaginable now, but at the time, it imposed discipline on us. Arguments were concise and to the point. I recall that huge Philips word processors came in the early eighties. That was a great help. q:you must have handled many cases over the past 40 years. which was the most memorable? A : The case which left a great imprint in my mind was that involving the instruments known as letters of hypothecation. The case arose following the collapse of a listed company, Pan Electric. The case came to me in the second month after I joined the High Court. Banks were then lending huge sums of money on the security of shares pledged under letters of hypothecation. This arrangement was unique to Singapore. I agonised quite a while to determine the legal character of that security. q:how has agc changed over the past 40 years? A : Back then, the future was uncertain. In many areas, there was no established local law, so we had to trust our instincts, rely on general legal principles and adapt from what was happening in other jurisdictions. Today, Singapore law is much more developed. But at the same time, the world and the law have become more complex. People are becoming more aware of their legal rights, and have the resources and resolve to protect them. AGC has grown to some 130 legal officers, dealing with a whole spectrum of issues, from criminal prosecutions to negotiating free trade agreements. Although IT has increased exponentially the resources at our disposal, this has not necessarily made the job easier. We need to make sure that we can operate within such a complex environment effectively, and that we are able to advise on matters from a wider perspective. Another thing which has changed is the speed at which AGC is now expected to respond to queries. q:what major challenges do you think agc will have to face in the next five years? A : We need to make sure we maintain the “pioneering” spirit. In some areas, such as biomedical research, Singapore aims to be a world leader and we must ensure that our legal system and laws can support this objective. To do this, we will not be able to merely mirror what other countries have done. In some cases, we will need to forge a path ahead on our own. This is a major challenge. So increasingly, our officers have to specialise in particular areas. We need to continue to train our officers in developing legal areas, such as IT and IP law, commercial crimes, international law and so on. At the same time, we must Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore remain firmly grounded in fundamentals. Although the world has changed tremendously since I first joined the AGC, our fundamental purpose has not – to provide the best advice to the Government on civil, administrative and legislative matters, and faithfully discharge the duties of the Public Prosecutor. Each officer must be deeply rooted to justice and the rule of law. q:who influenced you most in your career? A : My working career spanned two periods: first at AGC and later at the Supreme Court. At AGC, I worked closely with then AG Tan Boon Teik. Legal officers in general held him in awe. He was a good boss to me. He gave me much encouragement and valuable opportunities. On going over to the Supreme Court, the transition was made easier by then colleagues like Justice Chan Sek Keong (now CJ), Justices LP Thean and T S Sinnathuray and the late Justices FA Chua and Lai Kew Chai who were, at all times, ready to share with me their experiences and give me guidance. Later, CJ Yong Pung How was a huge influence not only on me but on the whole judicial system, which he transformed. They all played a part in my career development. q:you have a rather punishing work schedule. how do you relax and de-stress? how do you preserve a healthy mind and body? A : When I was young I was a movie buff. Nowadays, I hardly go to the movie houses. Once in a while, if an interesting movie is shown at the club, I may turn up. My main form of relaxation is tennis, socialising with friends who are not in the law, some of whom I started playing tennis with almost 40 years ago. Annual Report 2005/2006 q:if you could turn the clock back, would you have done anything differently? A : When one looks back there is always room for improvement, always something else which could have been tried. However, some experiences which I gained during my first stint in AGC were not experiences I could acquire elsewhere, such as being involved in the conference, over a period of more than 10 years, to elaborate the new Convention on the Law of the Sea. Our experiences help us shape our views of the future. Every experience improves our understanding and changes our outlook. The new generation of officers should be willing to go into new areas of law and embrace new ideas and changes. q:what would you say to a young lawyer starting his or her career in agc today? A : I would not presume to advise the young people of today. They have a much better grip on what is happening in the world than I did when I started. I would perhaps congratulate him or her on making a good career move. AGC offers young officers exposure to unparalleled opportunities and experiences. Officers in the Criminal Justice Division are prosecuting cases within a matter of months. In the private sector, it usually takes much more time before you are on your feet. Officers in the International Affairs Division have the unique opportunity of advising on matters which will affect the future of the country and I am saying this from first-hand knowledge. These are very exciting times and we need the best and most able young lawyers to take on these challenges. 0 10 010 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 ADMINISTR ATOR, ADVISOR, ADVOCATE, ARCHITECT, ACADEMIC : CHAN SEK KEONG’S LEGACY AS THE REPUBLIC’S THIRD ATTORNEY-GENER AL mr chan sek keong was appointed as the republic’s third attorney-general on 1 may 1992, after an illustrious career of 24 years as an established private practitioner, two years as the republic’s first judicial commissioner, and almost four years as a judge of the supreme court. on 11 april 2006, mr chan became the republic’s third chief justice – a first for a local law graduate. this feature article reflects on ag chan’s legacy and is adapted from solicitor – general chan seng onn’s tribute at the appreciation dinner held in ag chan’s honour on 8 april 2006. Under AG’s visionary leadership, AGC has transformed and grown in size, strength and stature. He has raised its professionalism and made it forward-looking. He spearheaded numerous important changes to the legal framework and the legal profession. He laid the foundation for the technological infrastructure for legal research for the profession and defined the country’s strategic legal needs. His contributions have been pivotal to Singapore’s international standing as one of the top legal systems in Asia and the world. Without a doubt, AG Chan leaves behind a lasting legacy as AGC’s top administrator, the Government’s chief legal advisor, the State’s lead advocate, the law profession’s prime architect, and the legal circle’s premier academic. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore legacy as the agc’s top administrator AGC today has more than 130 legal officers in five legal divisions, compared with about 50 in three legal divisions when AG Chan first took over the helm of AGC on 1 May 1992. The original divisions – the Civil Division, Crime Division (since renamed Criminal Justice Division) and Legislation Division – still exist today, but with a larger talent pool and the capacity to undertake increasingly complex legal work alongside work improvement projects. In 1995, AG Chan established the International Affairs Division (“IAD”) with the foresight that increasing globalisation and Singapore’s need for greater space on the world stage required the strategic application of public international law to protect and advance Singapore’s interests internationally. IAD now plays a crucial role in advising and representing the Singapore Government in a wide range of international law issues that impact on Singapore’s sovereignty, security and sustainability. AG Chan was instrumental in Singapore’s success in 2003 at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the case concerning land reclamation by Singapore in and around the Straits of Johor. He also provided leadership in the preparation of the case concerning Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge pending before the International Court of Justice. Annual Report 2005/2006 In 2000, AG Chan established the Law Reform and Revision Division to institutionalise the process of reviewing, reforming, modernising and validating Singapore’s laws in keeping with the changing needs and expectations of Singapore in the 21st century. The Division complemented AG Chan’s statutory role as Chairman of the Law Revision Commission. One of the significant changes AG Chan brought about was plain English statutory drafting which ensured that laws are drafted without unnecessary legalese, and in a way comprehensible to the average educated person. Since 2001, the Corporate Services Division has also been reformed to ensure that the core functions of AGC are supported by a top quality administration team that oversees the budgetary, talent development, and logistical aspects of the organisation. AGC’s mission statement, core values, code of conduct, corporate culture, organisational excellence framework, knowledge management initiatives and annual report were all introduced under AG Chan’s term of office. He also brought AGC’s relationship with counterparts in ASEAN and Commonwealth countries, China, Hong Kong, and Japan to new heights. In 2006, he instituted the Annual Event of the AGCs of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam to foster and enhance the already close ties between the AGCs of these three countries. 011 11 12 012 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 legacy as the government’s chief legal advisor As the Government’s chief legal advisor, AG Chan provided legal advice to the Cabinet and other government departments on numerous important issues. Two particularly significant legislative initiatives by AG Chan that profoundly impact the development of mercantile law and statutory interpretation in Singapore will be mentioned here. In 1993, AG Chan persuaded the Government to enact the Application of English Law Act to clarify the application of English statutes as part of Singapore law. The move not only removed the uncertainty and difficulty that used to revolve around section 5(1) of the Civil Law Act, it also paved the way for Singapore commercial law to grow independently of legislative changes in the United Kingdom, which is consistent with Singapore’s position as a sovereign state and its development of an autochthonous legal system. AG Chan was also responsible for initiating the introduction of a new section 9A in the Interpretation Act to enable judges and lawyers to have recourse to Parliamentary materials when interpreting any written law in order to ascertain the legislative intent. This purposive approach in statutory interpretation has proven invaluable when a statutory provision appears ambiguous or when a literal reading of it could lead to manifest absurdity. legacy as the state’s lead advocate During his tenure as the State’s lead advocate, AG Chan appeared personally in court for some landmark cases (for example, the Constitutional Reference on the constitutional powers of the Elected President) and in others, provided critical inputs for the legal arguments canvassed on behalf of the State (for example, the Pius Gilbert Louis case, regarding the maximum punishment that the High Court could impose in the exercise of its appellate jurisdiction). He was also involved in numerous other cases that laid down important principles of public law and defined the intricate relationships between key public institutions in Singapore. In 1999, AG Chan was conferred the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his contributions as AG. One of these was his introduction of clear principles and systematic reviews as Public Prosecutor to ensure integrity, transparency and consistency in prosecutorial decision-making. legacy as the law profession’s prime architect During his term, AG Chan was effectively the law profession’s prime architect, constantly conceptualising and designing its future direction. Between 1992 and 2005, AG Chan consecutively chaired three Committees on the Supply of Lawyers. The recommendations of these Committees, which were accepted by the Government, substantially enhanced the standard of local legal education and improved the quality of Singapore lawyers. In 1997, AG Chan chaired the Legal Services Review Committee to review Singapore’s strategic legal needs in the financial sector and the conditions under which foreign law firms and foreign lawyers are allowed to operate in Singapore. After the Committee issued its Report on Joint Law Ventures (“JLV”) and Formal Law Alliances (“FLA”), AG Chan established the Legal Profession (International Services) Secretariat in 2000 to implement and enforce the rules regulating the foreign legal services sector in Singapore. In 2005, Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore he chaired the Review Committee to review the JLV and FLA schemes and consider modifications to ensure the required legal support for the strategic service sectors. These changes were undertaken with the strategic view to broaden and deepen the capabilities of Singapore lawyers, and to build a vibrant legal sector with expertise in areas that will further Singapore’s aim to be the foremost business centre in our time zone. AG Chan also headed two important committees under the Singapore Academy of Law that allowed him to redesign the research infrastructure for the law profession. As Chairman of the LawNet Management Committee, he provided guidance for LawNet’s development of an advanced case law research database and a versioned legislation database. As Chairman of the Council for Law Reporting, he oversaw the transition of law reporting of Singapore cases from the Malayan Law Journal to our very own Singapore Law Reports in 1992. He then ensured that the revamped Singapore Law Reports dovetailed neatly and conveniently into LawNet to provide lawyers with quick and easy access to Singapore case law and legislation. legacy as the legal circle’s premier academic Few may know that AG Chan was a part-time lecturer and tutor in the NUS Law Faculty from 1963 to 1970 and later its external examiner. As AG, he continued to take an interest in academic work. For example, he co-authored with senior legal officers of AGC the chapters on Constitutional and Administrative Law in Halsbury’s Laws of Singapore which was published in 1999. The academic streak in AG Chan and the quality of his power Annual Report 2005/2006 of analysis can be gleaned from his 1996 Singapore Law Review Lecture on “The criminal process: The Singapore model” (1996) 17 Sing LR 433, his 2000 Millennium Law Conference paper on “Rethinking the criminal justice system of Singapore for the 21st century” (published in The Singapore Conference: Leading the Law and Lawyers into the New Millennium), and his 1999 Heads of Prosecution Agencies Conference paper on “Cultural issues and crime” (2000) 12 S.Ac.L.J. 1. AG Chan also had lively academic exchanges with Professor Michael Hor over criminal justice issues, and with Dr Thio Li-ann on constitutional issues. a fond farewell AG Chan is a man whose vision, wisdom, knowledge, industry and integrity is evident in the many milestone contributions he made to AGC and our legal sector. With his appointment as Chief Justice, Singapore can be confident that we will soon have a justice system that is not just efficient, but that also focuses on the law and its internal values. 013 13 14 014 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore FORMER SECOND SOLICITOR-GENER AL LEE SEIU KIN Annual Report 2005/2006 on 11 april 2006, our former second solicitorgeneral lee seiu kin was appointed a judge of the supreme court. we take the occasion of 2sg lee’s elevation to the bench to record his past achievements and his career in the agc. academic background and engineering career 2SG Lee obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree from the University of Adelaide in 1977 on a Colombo Plan Scholarship, after which he joined the Engineering Service as an Engineering Service Officer (Civil) at the Public Works Department (“PWD”). While with the PWD, he was involved in the construction of Changi Airport and Tengah Airbase. During this time, 2SG Lee also studied parttime at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”) and obtained his Master of Science (Construction Engineering) (Civil Engineering) degree in 1982. In 1983, he completed the Masters in Business Administration degree (with Distinction) at INSEAD, France under a French government postgraduate scholarship. In 1984, 2SG Lee was awarded a Public Service Commission Scholarship to pursue a special law degree programme at the Law Faculty of the NUS. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the NUS in 1986, and subsequently obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Cambridge in 1987. appointment to the singapore legal service 2SG Lee was appointed to the Singapore Legal Service on 1 October 1987 and was posted to AGC on the same date. He began his first tenure in AGC by serving in the Crime Division and Civil Division as Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel respectively. In July 1995, 2SG Lee was appointed concurrently as the Deputy Head of the Civil Division and the International Affairs Division, and remained so until 14 October 1997. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore During this time, 2SG Lee was also the Director of AGC’s Computer Information Systems Department and oversaw the computerisation of AGC. As the Project Director of LawNet, he was also involved in the early development and growth of LawNet. For his services in the computerisation of AGC and in LawNet, 2SG Lee was awarded the Public Administration (Silver) Medal in 1996. appointment as a judicial commissioner On 15 October 1997, 2SG Lee was seconded to the Supreme Court and appointed a Judicial Commissioner, in which capacity he served for five years. appointment as second solicitor-general On 15 October 2002, 2SG Lee returned to AGC as Second SolicitorGeneral, where he assisted the Attorney-General in discharging his functions as Public Prosecutor and the Government’s legal advisor. He also oversaw the work of the Civil and Criminal Justice Divisions. 2SG Lee took a keen interest in all matters which came before him, often calling up individual officers to discuss their advice or recommendations with them. In the course of these discussions, his critical and incisive analysis of the issues often challenged officers to re-examine the bases for their decisions without being constrained by previously-adopted positions. Even where 2SG Lee doubted the plausibility of an argument, he kept an open mind, and often took a practical approach to solving the problem before him. On one occasion, when he was unconvinced that a particular offence could be physically carried out in the manner described by the victim, he allowed the Deputy Public Prosecutors to carry out a “demonstration” of how the offence could have been committed. After watching the demonstration, 2SG Lee accepted that the incident could indeed have occurred in the manner Annual Report 2005/2006 described, and concurred that the perpetrator should be charged. His unusual approach in dealing with cases always kept officers on their toes and truly made the law “come alive” for them. Recognising the importance of giving officers feedback on their work and in encouraging them to further improve themselves, 2SG Lee also gave a lecture entitled “Advising the Government: Principles and Pointers”, in which he showed, often in a humourous way, common mistakes made by officers in their advice or submissions, and how to avoid such mistakes. 2SG Lee also played a key role in Singapore’s request to Australia to extradite Michael McCrea for an alleged double-murder in Singapore. In the course of contesting his extradition, McCrea challenged the constitutionality of an undertaking given by the Singapore Government to the Australian Government, as required by Australian law, that McCrea would not face the death penalty in the event of his conviction for murder in Singapore. In the ensuing proceedings, 2SG Lee testified before the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne, having been called by the Commonwealth SolicitorGeneral as an expert witness on Singapore Constitutional Law. His testimony was crucial to the eventual extradition of McCrea back to Singapore. With his continued interest in technological matters, 2SG Lee maintained his involvement in LawNet, and became Chairman of the LawNet Management Committee in 2003. That same year, 2SG Lee was appointed Chairman of the Electronic Filing System (“EFS”) Review Implementation Committee, and charged with implementing the recommendations of the EFS Review Committee. 2SG Lee oversaw the preparation of the Electronic Litigation Roadmap paper which charts the course for the development of the next-generation Electronic Litigation Systems that will replace the EFS. In 2005, 2SG Lee was appointed Chairman of the Electronic Litigation Systems Committee, which the EFS Review Implementation Committee was reconstituted into, to implement the Electronic Litigation Roadmap. 015 15 016 16 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 AGC ORGANIsATION CHART (as at 31 Dec 2006) Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin Solicitor-General Chan Seng Onn Second Solicitor-General Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore legal Divisions Civil Division PSSC Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck Criminal Justice Division PSSC Lawrence Ang Boon Kong International Affairs Division PSSC Sivakant Tiwari Law Reform and Revision Division PSSC Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Legislation Division PSSC Ter Kim Cheu Support Divisions Corporate Services Division S Jennifer Marie Director Computer Information Systems Department Lee Chuan Huei Director Library & Resource Centre Mary Ho Librarian Internal Audit Unit Tang Wee Ling Internal Auditor •Financial Management Unit •Human Resource Development Unit •Office Management Unit •Personnel Management Unit •Public Affairs Unit Annual Report 2005/2006 017 17 18 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s attorney-gener al’s 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chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 “w e will continue to work as a team, as we discharge our duty in enhancing the rule of law and strengthening the efficiency and integrity of singapore’s legal system. ” CHAN SENG ONN solicitor-general 19 20 020 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 jeffrey chan wah teck principal senior state counsel civil division CIVIL DIVISION the civil division of the attorney-general’s chambers is tasked to provide sound legal advice and representation for the government of singapore, thereby enhancing the rule of law and principles of good governance in singapore. this mission places the division at the forefront of legal and policy developments initiated by the government, advising and representing it at various fora both public and private. 2006 was an eventful year for Civil Division, whose services were required for various significant events happening in Singapore, such as : • General Elections 2006 – the Division conducted various legal briefings for the senior officials involved in the General Elections, and our officers were also closely involved in advising the Elections Department throughout Polling Day 2006; • S2006 IMF / World Bank Meeting – apart from drafting and vetting the numerous procurement documents for the Meeting, the Division also rendered legal advice to the Government for the momentous event held in September 2006 in Singapore; • Marina Bay and Sentosa Integrated Resorts – in 2006, the Division’s officers were required to work very closely with the various ministries involved in the selection process for the awarding of the agreements to develop the two integrated resorts in Singapore; • Dealing with Subutex abusers – the Division was involved in advising the Ministries of Health and Home Affairs on plans to regulate the use of Subutex, a drug introduced as a substitute treatment for opiate-dependent drug abusers. We also advised on the implications of such plans for existing licencees who had been granted licences under the Medicines Act (Cap. 176) for the drug’s use in Singapore. These plans culminated in amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap. 185) to list Subutex as a controlled drug; • WMD Proliferation – the Division advised Singapore Customs and various other agencies in Singapore’s effort to fight terrorism and stem the illicit trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. The Division was involved in organising legal discussions at a major international meeting held in Singapore in July 2006, as well as providing legal advice for the expansion of Singapore’s control list for the export, transshipment and transit of strategic goods. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore In the area of litigation, apart from dealing with a significant caseload of claims of different forms, the Division also represented the Government in a range of cases of great public interest. Foremost amongst these was Tee Soon Kay v AG, the first class action suit in Singapore, where more than 100 retired civil servants sought declarations from the High Court permitting them to rejoin the pension scheme to claim medical benefits after they had converted to the CPF scheme some 33 years ago. The Civil Division successfully defended the Government in having these claims dismissed. 2006 also saw the first Election Petition lodged in our courts in the last 25 years. In Chee Siok Chin v AG, an unsuccessful election candidate who stood for election in the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency, applied to Court for a declaration that General Election 2006 was null and void. Civil Division successfully defended the petition and convinced the Election Judge to dismiss the application with costs. In a separate case, the same plaintiff also sought a declaration that the Government had acted in a manner inconsistent with the Constitution by dispersing a protest that she and a few others had participated in outside the CPF Building. This was heard in Chee Siok Chin & others v Minister for Home Affairs & another. Civil Division was successful in persuading the Court to dismiss the application for being frivolous, vexatious, an abuse of process and disclosing no legitimate legal grievance whatsoever. Annual Report 2005/2006 In the area of training, Civil Division conducted three key seminars for the public service in 2006. These were the Constitutional and Administrative Law Seminar (for all civil servants and statutory board officers), the Education and the Law Seminar (for the Ministry of Education’s officers) and the SLA Law Seminar (for Singapore Land Authority officers). These seminars, aimed at addressing the legal concerns of our clients and driving home the rule of law among civil servants and statutory board officers, received very positive feedback from participants, prompting many to call for more similar seminars in future. 021 21 22 022 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 lawrence ang boon kong principal senior state counsel criminal justice division CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION the criminal justice division is committed to promoting a just criminal justice system by pursuing a fair and impartial policy in the prosecution of offenders. dismissed and the sentence of death affirmed. The Court of Appeal, by a majority of two to one, held that there was sufficient evidence to prove that the accused had smothered the deceased and thus caused her death, and that the trial judge was right to have drawn an adverse inference against the accused for remaining silent. There were also two highly-publicised cases involving body parts. significant cases in the past year In PP v Aguilar Guen Garlejo, a 29-year old Filipino domestic worker pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304(a) of the Penal Code, for strangling a fellow Filipino domestic worker to death after a fight. She subsequently chopped up the deceased’s body and placed the body parts in two separate places – outside Orchard MRT station and at MacRitchie Reservoir. She was assessed to be suffering from ‘masked depression’. In passing a sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, the Court took into account the improbability of her re-offending, as well as the familial support and medical counseling that was available to her. The Court further stated that the imposition of an indeterminate prison term should be avoided when addressing offenders with an unstable medical or mental condition if there was reason to believe they could get better. PP v Took Leng How was one of the most anticipated cases of the year. The accused stood trial in the High Court for the murder of 8-year old Huang Na, who was the daughter of his co-worker. As the accused was alone with the victim at the time of her death, only he could explain what had happened. However, he chose to remain silent when his defence was called. At the end of the closely-watched High Court trial, the accused was convicted of murder under section 302 of the Penal Code (Cap. 224), and sentenced to death. The accused’s subsequent appeal was In PP v Leong Siew Chor, the 51-year old accused was charged with the murder of his lover, a 22-year old Chinese national. The accused had strangled her, dismembered her body, and then disposed of the body parts in the Kallang River. In his defence, the accused claimed that there had been a suicide pact between himself and the deceased. However, the trial judge rejected the defence and convicted the accused of murder under section 302 of the Penal Code. He was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty, and his conviction was upheld on appeal. The Attorney-General, in his capacity as the Public Prosecutor, has the sole discretion to institute, conduct and discontinue criminal proceedings. Prosecutions are carried out by Deputy Public Prosecutors and Assistant Public Prosecutors. Criminal litigation involves the conduct of mentions, pre-trial conferences, trials, appeals and inquiries. Outside the courtroom, the Division’s officers are also responsible for rendering legal advice to law enforcement agencies, the Government and statutory bodies on all criminal justice matters. The Division also deals with requests for extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to and by foreign states. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore PP v Michael McCrea was a case which started with the discovery in January 2002 of two bodies in an abandoned car at Orchard Towers. However, the accused – who had killed his chauffeur and the chauffeur’s girlfriend – had fled from Singapore. McCrea, a 48-year old Briton, eventually turned up in Australia. He then fought extradition all the way to the High Court of Australia, before finally being extradited to Singapore in September 2005 after the Government had undertaken that he would not face the death penalty if convicted of murder. Finally, in early 2006, he pleaded guilty to two charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304(b) of the Penal Code, and another charge in relation to the disposal of the bodies. The sentence of 24 years’ imprisonment was upheld on appeal. In PP v Chee Cheong Hin Constance, another case involving the death of a young child, the accused was charged with causing the death of her ex-lover’s four-year old daughter, by causing her to fall from a block of flats. The accused, who is schizophrenic, was convicted after trial of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and kidnapping, under sections 304(a) and 363 of the Penal Code, respectively. She was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment. PP v Ng Teck Boon was one of the major white-collar crimes of the year. The accused was the Assistant General Manager of Citiraya Industries, a premier service provider in the waste management industry with one of the world’s largest electronic waste recycling facilities. The accused faced a total of 193 charges for his role in a large-scale commercial scam, whereby S$1.82 million in bribes had been given by him to staff members of Citiraya’s clients in return for their helping to divert scrap meant for recycling. The accused also helped to divert 62 shipments of scrap from Citiraya which were subsequently sold to overseas syndicates for US$50 million. To disguise the profits made from the illegal operations, he had also helped falsify accounts of Citiraya and related companies. He subsequently pleaded guilty to 24 charges and was sentenced to a total of eight years’ imprisonment. Annual Report 2005/2006 Finally, arising from the outcome of the Committee of Inquiry into the 2004 Nicoll Highway collapse, charges under the Factories Act (Cap. 104) and the Building Control Act (Cap. 29) were preferred against the persons found responsible for the collapse of the Highway on 20 April 2004, which had resulted in the deaths of four persons. Those charged were all punished with stiff fines. Nishimatsu Construction Company, the occupier of the worksite, was also fined $200,000 after pleading guilty to a charge under section 33(1) read with sections 88(1) and 89(5) of the Factories Act, for failing to ensure that the place of work was of sound construction and properly maintained. amended legislation Following increasing reports about the abuse of Subutex by drug addicts, the Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap. 185) was amended to include Subutex within the list of Class A controlled drugs. This brings the drug under the purview of the Central Narcotics Bureau. It was previously dealt with by the Health Sciences Authority, under the Poisons Act (Cap. 234). Ketamine has also been moved up from being a Class B controlled drug to a Class A controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, thereby enhancing the penalties applicable for abusing it. The Division will continue to discharge its responsibilities to the public fairly and efficiently, while always seeking to enhance its contribution to the criminal justice system. 023 23 24 024 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 sivakant tiwari principal senior state counsel international affairs division INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISION the international affairs division plays an important role in promoting and safeguarding singapore’s interests on the international front. its officers provide legal advice to government ministries and statutory boards on issues of international law. they represent singapore at international negotiations at the united nations, the association of southeast asian nations, the asia-pacific economic cooperation, the world trade organisation and other international fora, negotiate and draft multilateral and bilateral treaties and agreements, and participate in international dispute resolution on behalf of the singapore government. free trade agreements and other economic agreements IAD officers played a significant role in negotiations on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with various trading partners. The Korea-Singapore FTA came into force on 2 March 2006. Under the KSFTA, almost three-quarters of Singapore’s domestic exports to Korea will enjoy tariff elimination, Singapore will benefit from enhanced access to the Korean services market and investors from both countries will enjoy protection for their investments. The Panama-Singapore FTA entered into force on 24 July 2006. Under the PSFTA, tariffs on most of Singapore’s domestic exports will be eliminated while there will be duty-free access to all Panamanian goods. Service suppliers from both countries will have non-discriminatory access to each other’s markets. The PSFTA also provides for trade and investment cooperation as well as technical and scientific cooperation. The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, involving Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Chile and New Zealand, is the first FTA that spans three continents and Singapore’s first FTA with a South American country. The Agreement entered into force between New Zealand and Singapore on 28 May 2006 and on 12 July 2006 for Brunei Darussalam. The Agreement will enter into force for Chile after it has completed its domestic processes. Singapore is currently negotiating FTAs with Pakistan and Peru. On the multilateral front, Singapore participated in ongoing negotiations for the ASEAN-China, ASEAN-India, ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-Korea and ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTAs. The Goods Agreement of the ASEAN-Korea FTA, including an exchange of notes on ASEAN’s support to Korea’s initiative to develop the Gaesong Industrial Complex, was re-signed on 24 August 2006. For completed FTAs, there were reviews for the FTAs with the United States, India, and Australia. IAD officers led investment guarantee agreement negotiations which were successfully concluded (Singapore-Slovakia IGA) or are still being negotiated (Oman, Finland). They also advised on ASEAN integration instruments which were successfully concluded, as well as Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs). DTAs with Malaysia, Malta, and Germany were successfully concluded. In addition, they advised on economic and technical cooperation agreements such as the Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation in the Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun signed between Indonesia and Singapore on 25 June 2006 and the Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation in Special Economic Zones with Russia, signed on 14 August 2006. dispute settlement IAD continued to provide legal support to the Singapore Government in the Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), with oral hearings on the merits of the dispute scheduled to begin on 6 November 2007. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore boundary negotiations IAD officers also led the Singapore side in the second round of the negotiations with Indonesia on maritime boundaries. other work and programmes IAD officers also worked closely with and rendered legal advice and assistance to Government agencies on a wide range of matters, including civil aviation, maritime boundaries, military cooperation, extradition, mutual legal assistance, environmental protection, human rights and humanitarian law and diplomatic relations. They led the meetings of the Joint Expert Working Group on the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, which were held from 10-12 October 2006 and 13-15 November 2006 respectively. The Convention is the first legally-binding counter terrorism agreement involving all 10 ASEAN countries. IAD officers also participated in and advised on the following: Annual Report 2005/2006 On 29 November 2006, the Headquarters Agreement which established the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre as an independent, international body, was signed in Singapore. In addition, IAD officers advised on issues relating to the Coordinating Body on the Seas of South East Asia; the Climate Change Agreements Committee; the Agreement to Establish the ASEAN Single Window; the Aceh Monitoring Mission; the EUSingapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement; the Proliferation Security Initiative; East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve Agreement; and various visa abolition agreements. IAD officers also participated in air services agreement negotiations with several countries including Belgium, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. Singapore and the European Union also signed an Agreement on Certain Aspects on Air Services on 9 June 2006, which enables all EU airlines to fly between any EU member state and Singapore and grants Singapore the flexibility to pursue bilateral liberalisation of air services with individual EU member states. • The 7 th and 8th Sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which were held from 16 January-3 February 2006 and 14-25 August 2006 respectively. After 5 years, agreement was finally reached on a new international human rights treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities; • The Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of a Revised Trademark Law Treaty, organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation and held from 13-31 March 2006 in Singapore. A new treaty, named the "Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks", was concluded; The Legal Profession (International Services) Secretariat continued its work on the regulation of foreign lawyers and foreign law firms in Singapore. The Secretariat was involved in recommending policies relating to the foreign legal services sector, including work relating to the Review Committee on Joint Law Ventures and Formal Law Alliances, and the Third Committee on the Supply of Lawyers. • WTO GATS negotiations on the plurilateral request concerning the legal services sector; IAD officers were also involved in the Working Groups on Legal Infrastructure and the Legal Profession. • WTO negotiations on the revision of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement; and • The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (“ReCAAP”), the first regional government-to-government agreement of this nature, which entered into force on 4 September 2006. IAD also continued the annual International Law Speakers Series, which explores current developments and emerging issues in public international law. This year’s invited speaker was Professor Emeritus Maurice Mendelson QC, who conducted workshops and delivered a keynote lecture on “International Dispute Resolution: Developments and Challenges”. • Issues relating to the Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank Group ("S2006") which Singapore hosted from 13-20 September 2006; The UN appointed an IAD officer as a member in two legal expert groups looking into issues relating to the elimination of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping operations. Reports were completed and submitted in March and October 2006. 025 25 26 026 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 charles lim aeng cheng principal senior state counsel law reform & revision division LAW REFORM AND REVISION DIVISION the law reform and revision division plays a key role in the development of law reform proposals and gives concrete expression to one of the functions of the attorney-general’s chambers, which is the initiation of law reform. In pursuing its mission to review and reform laws in Singapore to create a modern and just legal infrastructure consistent with the best legal systems in the world, LRRD performs a dual function; it is both a full time and dedicated law reform agency, as well as secretariat to the Law Revision Commissioners. law reform In 2006, LRRD assisted the Monetary Authority of Singapore in the drafting of the Payment Systems (Oversight) Act 2006, which came into operation on 23 June 2006. The Act provides for the regulation of payment systems and stored value facilities. The Deposit Insurance Act (Cap. 77A), in respect of which LRRD rendered legal and legislative drafting assistance to MAS, came into operation on 18 October 2005. LRRD assisted the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (“IDA”) in drafting the Spam Control Bill to control the sending of unsolicited commercial communications in bulk by electronic mail or by text or multi-media messaging to mobile telephones. Following extensive public consultation conducted jointly by IDA and AGC, the Bill is scheduled to be introduced in Parliament in early 2007. LRRD officers were involved in the Inter-Ministry Committee (“IMC”) reviewing the governance of Charities and Institutions of a Public Character (“IPCs”). Pursuant to the recommendations of this IMC, amendments have been made to the Income Tax Regulations governing Central Fund Administrators and the IPCs, and amendments will also be made to the Charities Act (Cap. 37) in due course. On 26 October 2005, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts convened an Inter-Ministry Sub-committee under the National Infocomm Security Committee to review Singapore’s data protection regime and assess the suitability of various data protection regulatory models. A total of 16 Government agencies, including AGC, are represented on this committee, and LRRD officers are involved in advisory and legislative drafting work for the committee. LRRD officers also provided legal and legislative drafting assistance in the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (“CPFTA”) Review Taskforce, jointly chaired by MTI and the Consumers Association of Singapore. The proposed amendments to the Act include the extension of the CPFTA to certain financial services, and the tightening of regulations relating to direct selling, opt-out practices and deposits taken by car dealers. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore LRRD was involved in the drafting of new sections 125A and 125B of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68) to give enhanced lawful access to computer material, including encrypted material. The provisions, which came into operation on 1 January 2006, are broadly consistent with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Guidelines on Cryptography. LRRD officers provided legal and drafting support to the MOF Study Team on Limited Partnerships. A public consultation was conducted on the Study Team Report and the proposed amendments to implement the proposals in the Report. In addition to working on amendments to the Legal Profession Act (Cap. 161) relating to the discipline and conduct of lawyers, LRRD officers were also involved in various law reform efforts undertaken by the Law Reform Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law, including projects on Pre- and Post-Judgment Interest, Recognition of Foreign Judgments and reviews of the Limitation Act (Cap. 163) and the Parole Evidence Rule. The published Reports on Pre- and Post-Judgment Interest and Recognition of Foreign Judgments have been referred to the Ministry of Law for consideration, while amendments to the Limitation Act and the Evidence Act (Cap. 97) are being formulated. LRRD also provided policy and legal advice and legislative drafting assistance to Ministry of Home Affairs on their ongoing Review of Sexual Offences in the Penal Code (Cap. 224). A draft Penal Code (Amendment) Bill was released for public consultation in November 2006. Annual Report 2005/2006 law revision LRRD also assists the Law Revision Commissioners in revising the legislation of Singapore to make it more user-friendly. New and heavily amended Acts are revised twice every year, while such subsidiary legislation are revised every quarter or at such dates appointed by the Law Revision Commissioners. Legislative histories and comparative tables are also updated with each revision. As at 31 December 2006, LRRD had published revised editions of 20 Acts (2,373 pages) and 2,089 pages of subsidiary legislation (including the voluminous and heavily-amended Revised Edition of the Rules of Court), as well as a new Subject Index to Acts. LRRD also hosted an attachment programme for two senior legal officers from the Law Revision and Law Reform Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Malaysia from 10 to 21 July 2006. The inaugural attachment programme sought to enable our Malaysian counterparts to study the structure of LRRD, our experience in identifying areas for reform, our approach towards law reform work, our experience in law revision work, and our knowledge management systems. 027 27 28 028 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 ter kim cheu principal senior state counsel legislation division LEGISLATION DIVISION one of the cornerstones of a fair and responsive legal system is an effective and equitable legislative framework. to this end, the legislation division drafts laws on instruction from the government, to give effect to parliamentary intention in a manner that is simple, clear and concise. legislation drafted 2006 was a year of significant achievements for us. We drafted a wide variety of legislation to keep pace with the numerous policy initiatives of the Government, including the Casino Control Act (Act 10 of 2006), the National Research Fund Act (Act 17 of 2006), the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (Act 5 of 2006), the Residential Property (Amendment) Act (Act 9 of 2006) and the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act (Act 4 of 2006). Pursuant to the Government’s decision to develop integrated resorts, the Casino Control Act was passed in February 2006 to establish a new statutory body, the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore, and to provide for the operation and regulation of casinos and gaming in casinos. The Act also implements measures, such as security and surveillance requirements and the prohibition of automatic teller machines within the premises of casinos, to promote responsible gaming. In addition, the Act prohibits any person below 21 years of age from entering casino premises and establishes the National Council on Problem Gambling. One of the functions of the Council is the appointment of a panel of assessors to decide on applications for family exclusion orders to prohibit irresponsible habitual gamblers from entering the premises of casinos. The Prime Minister announced last year that the Government would be stepping up investment in research and development to strengthen Singapore’s intellectual and knowledge base. More than $13 billion has been set aside for research and development support through various agencies. In line with this initiative, the National Research Fund Act was passed earlier this year to establish the National Research Fund, the National Research Foundation Board and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council. The Board will be responsible for the management and administration of the Fund while the Council will guide and advise the Government on all aspects of research and development activities and innovation in Singapore. The Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act was repealed and re-enacted this year, arising from a review of the old Act by the Ministry of National Development. The new Act serves to strengthen the enforcement powers of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, especially in the area of illegal transshipments of certain protected wildlife species through Singapore. It also raises the maximum level of penalties to better reflect the severity of the offences and to ensure an effective deterrence against the illegal trafficking and trade of these species. The Residential Property (Amendment) Act was passed in February to give effect to policy changes related to the property market announced by the Minister for National Development. Among the key changes introduced are provisions allowing foreigners to Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore purchase flats in buildings which are below six levels, refining existing safeguards to prevent developers from speculating in residential land and streamlining the administration of the Residential Property Act by reducing red-tape and business costs without a loss of effectiveness. The Road Traffic Act was amended in February to introduce a new vehicle registration and licensing system. The new system is intended to provide accessible, convenient and integrated vehicle-related electronic services to the public. It is also programmed to accept multiple payment modes and will enable car dealers to provide one-stop service to their customers when purchasing or selling vehicles. The system will also support the move towards scrip-less transactions by doing away with the need to issue physical vehicle registration cards. training Training has always formed an integral part of our work in the Division. This year, based on feedback received from previous participants, we revamped our annual Legislative Drafting Course to meet the changing political and legal climate. The objectives of the Drafting Course, amongst others, were to give participants an overview of the drafting and legislative process in Singapore, and to introduce participants to legislative drafting analysis and basic skills in legislative drafting. The course, which was held in July, attracted both local and overseas participants, and was very well received. Participants reported that they learned much and gained very useful insights into the legislative drafting process. Three of our officers, David Lim, Lim Jit Hee and Julie Huan also drew accolades from the participants for their eloquence and presentations. Annual Report 2005/2006 Besides providing training for others, we also recognise the importance of continuing professional education for our officers. In September, Lim Jit Hee attended a 10-day executive programme in Qinghua University, Beijing to gain an understanding of China’s political and legal systems, economic development and foreign policy. This year, we also continued with our training of support staff to be multi-skilled so that they are better equipped to handle more complex legislative documents. The support staff were kept busy in the 3rd and 4th quarters due to the high number of Bills targeted for presentation before the new Parliament in November. In addition, they also provided invaluable assistance to the officers during the Drafting Course by attending to the administrative matters and collating the training materials for the participants. Two of our staff won awards for their hard work and contribution in AGC. Poh Geok Lan, our Legal Executive, was conferred the Pingat Berkebolehan (Efficiency Medal) for her competence and dedication. In addition, Ricky Tan, our clerical officer, was one of the 16 winners of the Singapore Labour Foundation Educational Tours Award for Model Workers this year. He was nominated by AGC based on his work performance and subsequently selected by the Foundation to receive the award and to participate in a 7-day educational trip to China in September. In all, 2006 has been a fruitful and fulfilling year for the Division. 029 29 30 030 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 CORPOR ATE SERVICES DIVISION the corporate services division provides support in financial administration, budget control, office administration, personnel administration and human resource development. investment in our quality management system CSD first attained the prestigious ISO certification on 17 February 2003. Under the ISO 9000 framework, certified organisations are required to go through six-monthly surveillance audits and a re-certification exercise once in three years to ensure that the organisation is continually practicing and enhancing our ISO Quality Management System. CSD successfully renewed AGC’s ISO certification on 23 February 2006, and this renewal demonstrates our commitment to maintain our Quality Management System in accordance with the ISO 9000 Standard. investment in our people Human capital management and development are seen as a key function in AGC to ensure that our chief asset, people, contribute to the organisation. AGC’s certification to the People Developer Standard was renewed in December 2004. The achievement of the People Developer Standard was a clear recognition of AGC as a forward-looking organisation with a strong training and development culture as key tenets of our human resource management philosophy. Training has always played a key role in our continuous effort to enhance the quality of our legal advice, prosecution, legislative drafting, and law reform and review, driving our vision to be a world class organisation. economy drive initiatives AGC has successfully embarked on a range of Economy-Drive initiatives to get more value-for-money in a time when demands keep rising while financial resources are limited. These initiatives include affixing automated timers to hot water dispensers to save electricity, making conscious efforts to generate headcount savings from the implementation of manpower management frameworks, stretching the useful lives of assets without compromising the quality of services delivered to our customers, proactive efforts by senior officers to travel by economy instead of first or business class, using frequent flyer points to purchase air tickets, and reduction in the rental charges by relentlessly negotiating with our landlord for lower rental rates. The collective hard work has resulted in savings of about S$900,000 from our operating budget over and above the 3% budget reduction in FY 2005. notional net economic value ( “nev” ) AGC has successfully implemented the Notional NEV framework in addition to the NEV framework to provide a direct link between our operating drivers and key performance indicators. With the Notional NEV framework, officers are able to link strategic planning to daily functions and embrace the NEV framework as an important tool to continuously strive to create value with the limited financial resources we have. This has helped AGC to generate a positive NEV of S$4.9 million. employee handbook The CSD will be initiating efforts to create an employee handbook which would serve as a quick and easy-to-use reference guide for its officers. The intention is to help officers quickly find the relevant policies on matters such as leave, car-parking, external activities, etc. This will reduce demands upon CSD in answering routine queries and would reduce the confusion faced by officers in reading the many internal circulars, external circulars and Government Instruction Manuals. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore LIBR ARY and Resource centre the library and resource centre plays a crucial role in ensuring that the latest statutes, authorities and reference materials are made available to agc’s legal off icers. staff matters At present, the Library is staffed by 1 librarian, 4 library officers and a library attendant. Two of the library officers are Diploma graduates of Temasek Polytechnic while one is into her third year of diploma studies. A major review was done in relation to the budget for the Library. As part of the review, the Library Committee embarked on a thorough examination of serial titles (Loose-leaf, Law Reports and Law Journals) for their utility to AGC and to see if they could be available through other cheaper sources (eg. on-line). Cancellations that have been made possible through the review will achieve an estimated $40,000 in savings. library management system A new library management system was implemented to replace the outdated text-based ATLAS Library System which had been in use since 1989. This was an initiative by AGC (CISD and Library) in 031 31 conjunction with the libraries of the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. The project was named “The 4 Cs” (Collaborative Collections of Chambers and Courts) and the system was officially launched in July of 2005. Among the many useful features, the new system allows officers from AGC, Supreme Court and Subordinate Courts to search across the three libraries from their desktops. As this is the first web-based system for the 3 libraries, fine-tuning of certain modules was finally completed in August 2006, with more updates scheduled for 2007. statistics Category Loans serviced Inter-library loans Reference enquiries/ research requested budget Annual Report 2005/2006 Visitors FY2004 FY2005 13,273 17,904 258 137 3,689 4,328 225 179 A reduced loan period of one month instead of three months was implemented. It has contributed, in part, to an increase in loan figures. More significantly, it allowed the Library to better track the use and return of books. This initiative has helped to minimise the number of misplaced books. The increasing usage of on-line databases provided or supported by the Library has given more immediate access to research materials and fewer inter-library loans have been required in FY 2005. 32 032 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT the computer information systems department ( “cisd” ) is responsible for the planning, provision and maintenance of information technology ( “it” ) solutions for agc. in addition, cisd plays a key role in spearheading the re-engineering of the business processes within agc’s various divisions, and drives information technology initiatives to maximise productivity and improve work output quality. The Solicitor-General heads the InfoComm Technology (“ICT”) Steering Committee, which leads and provides direction for the various IT initiatives in AGC, to align them with AGC’s business needs. it planning for agc IT Planning for AGC encompasses identifying AGC’s ICT needs and mapping out the ICT blueprint which will support and transform the manner in which AGC carries out its functions. In December 2005, MOF requested that AGC consolidate its IT development plans for the next three years. In March 2006, CISD completed its review and submitted its plan to MOF. Funding for the plan was approved by MOF in April 2006. The three key projects identified in the IT Plan are: (a) Legislation Editing and Authentic Publishing (“LEAP”) LEAP heralds an overhaul of the existing Versioned Legislation Database (“VLDB”) system, to further enhance and facilitate one of AGC’s core competencies – legislation drafting. LEAP aims to electronically manage the entire life-cycle of legislation, from document creation to record publishing by providing an intuitive and efficient drafting environment and a versioning online delivery system. LEAP will also improve coordination with instructing Ministries when preparing draft legislation and provides an interface to allow information to be re-used and cross referenced. LEAP, which is expected to be completed in August 2008, will also put in place a system that will provide authoritative copies of Singapore legislation, removing the need to rely on printed hardcopies. (b) Enterprise Legal Management System (“ELMS”) ELMS seeks to automate the largely manual process of managing documents in AGC and provide a single integrated electronic view of information relating to every case handled by AGC. To this end, the areas that CISD will work on for the next three years are: Case Management, Workflow Management, Diary Management, Integrated Email Management and electronic modules which interface with other agencies and Ministries, e.g., electronic requests for advice and electronic transfer of Investigation Papers. (c) Knowledge Management Next Phase (“KMNP”) KMNP will expand on AGC’s current KM initiatives. It will further reinforce AGC’s KM Portal as a single point of access to all information in AGC. Under the KMNP program, CISD will work closely with the KM committee to review the KM taxonomy and framework, to improve the user-friendliness of the KM Portal as well as implement new tools such as search engines and automated taxonomy classifiers. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 km portal committee pages and training independent sgnet security audit Committee Pages were introduced to AGC’s KM Portal, and these allow members of individual committees in AGC to share documents, make announcements and hold discussion forums online. In March 2006, Price Waterhouse Coopers (“PWC”) conducted an onsite audit in AGC, and found that AGC’s network infrastructure security was in full compliance with the SGNET network security policy. From February 2006, a series of training sessions was conducted for the committee administrators. Self-help animated training guides are also provided for users who prefer to learn at their own pace. To date, 32 administrators have attended the training sessions and 15 new Committee Pages have been created. revamp of agc internet website To comply with the Singapore Government Web Interface Standards, CISD also revamped AGC’s Internet Website. The revamp was carried out with the assistance of all Divisions and made information retrieval easier, and also enabled Divisions to edit their pages directly. e-submission system ( “e-sub system” ) CISD and the Corporate Services Division piloted the e-Sub System, which allows users to put up submissions electronically through a managed workflow which captures the comments and decisions given at each clearance level. Email alerts are also sent to inform the clearing or approving officers of the due dates of the submissions, enabling faster clearance of the submissions. network backup solutions In March 2006, CISD implemented an automated backup system that would backup the user’s work files and folders residing on their computers onto a secure network storage system. In the event of file or data loss, this network storage system is able to restore the lost files and data onto the user’s computer with minimal disruption. wireless hotspots CISD plans to provide for wireless hotspot access in all meeting rooms within AGC. This will enable legal officers equipped with notebooks to gain remote access to the Internet and their email while attending meetings. The wireless access has in-built security to prevent any potential misuse of the wireless network infrastructure. The wireless hotspot project began rolling out from November 2006. change of cio/director cisd CISD would like to note with deep appreciation the contributions of Tan Ken Hwee, our former Chief Information Officer and Director, who was posted to the Supreme Court in October 2006. He was a capable and visionary leader who brought computerisation in AGC to a higher level, and he will be missed. 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chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers chambers singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 “ i am totally confident that the high standard of professionalism for which agc is known will be maintained and even improved. ” PROF WALTER WOON second solicitor-general 035 35 36 036 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 INAUGUR AL ANNUAL EVENT OF THE ATTORNEY-GENER AL’S CHAMBERS of SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA AND BRUNEI DARUSSALAM AGC organised and hosted the Inaugural Annual Event of the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam from 23 to 25 March 2006 in Singapore. Some 60 representatives from Malaysia and Brunei attended the event, together with the majority of the officers of AGC Singapore. In his opening address, AG Chan Sek Keong welcomed all participants to the Event. He called upon them to work hard, but also invited the visitors to enjoy themselves in Singapore. He then recalled the events which led to the Event being held, drawing on the similarities between the three organisations and his personal links with his counterparts and their predecessors. Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar delivered the welcome address for the Event, hailing it as a chance for strengthening legal cooperation so as to promote stability, security and peace in the region. DPM Jayakumar pointed out that the three countries share common characteristics in terms of legal heritage and legal traditions, and it would be useful for the three AGCs to exchange experiences and explore specific areas of legal cooperation. For two days, representatives from the three AGCs presented papers on a wide variety of subjects. These covered a broad range of legal issues, namely: a) Interaction between Syariah Law and Civil Law; b) Principles and Pitfalls in Developing and Implementing Technology Laws; c) Public Private Partnership Projects; d) Computerisation in AGC, Singapore – AGC’s Knowledge Management Journey; e) Role of Prosecutors; f) Judicial Review of Executive Actions; and g) Developing Expertise in International Law in the Region. The topics elicited lively responses from the officers of the three AGCs, with officers appreciating the different perspectives offered by their counterparts. The presentations were delivered and received with the attitude of learning from one another, and appreciating the differences in and difficulties faced by the respective jurisdictions. During the Event, AGC also organised a number of social events for our guests from Malaysia and Brunei. These included a tour of the Supreme Court, a trip to the Night Safari, friendship games (including a round of golf at Raffles Country Club), as well as a welcome dinner at the Asian Civilizations Museum and a closing lunch at Kohinoor Palace restaurant in the Khalsa Association. It was at the closing lunch that a song specially chosen for the Event was unveiled – Vera Lynn’s 1939 song “We’ll Meet Again” was adapted by officers from AGC to reflect the sense of camaraderie and friendship that had grown among the officers from the three AGCs over the days’ events, concluding with the promise that the Event would be hosted in 2007 by the AGC of Malaysia. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 APPRECIATION DINNER FOR AG chan sek keong AND 2SG lee seiu kin 2006 has proven to be a landmark year for the local legal landscape, with changes of leadership in both the Supreme Court and AGC. While the Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court, the Honourable Justice Chao Hick Tin, crossed over to AGC to assume leadership as our new AG, the outgoing AG Chan Sek Keong moved to the Supreme Court to head Singapore’s Judiciary as the third Chief Justice of Singapore. Also making a significant move was another of the AGC’s leaders, 2SG Lee Seiu Kin, who rejoined the Judiciary as a Judge of the Supreme Court. To mark these historical changes, AGC held a fitting farewell for the outgoing AG and 2SG, and a hearty welcome to our new AG. Taking place at the Asian Civilizations Museum at Empress Place on 8 April 2006, the party was attended by over a hundred people. What many expected to be a formal affair turned out to be a hugely enjoyable evening, complete with a taste of operatic excellence, courtesy of the reigning ‘AGC Idol’, David Lim. Several other light-hearted performances from officers and staff of AGC helped to garnish the atmosphere with a mood of relaxation. The entertainment was complemented by a delightful spread of local and continental food at the buffet table. The outgoing AG delivered a heartfelt speech, centered on his memories of his time in office, the friendships he made and hints of the challenges he was to face in his new position. The incoming AG also gave a witty, impromptu speech highlighting his return to a new, bigger and more modern AGC. The guests responded with enthusiastic applause, indicating their unstinting support for the new Chief Justice and Attorney-General. There was also a heartwarming exchange of speeches between SG Chan Seng Onn and the outgoing 2SG Lee. SG Chan started off with a tribute to the outgoing AG, followed by a tribute to his colleague and friend, 2SG Lee. In a speech which was as funny as it was emotional, SG Chan traversed a wide range of topics, from his working relationship with 2SG Lee to their contrasting experiences with skiing. 2SG delivered his equally warm reply and farewell speech. To end this farewell-cum-welcome celebration, officers and staff lined the corridors and staircases of the museum, applauding AG Chan and 2SG Lee as they departed, demonstrating the depth of respect and gratitude felt towards them for their years of service in AGC. 037 37 38 038 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 AGC CORPOR ATE RETREAT 2006 STAFF WELFARE COMMITTEE AGC’s annual corporate retreat was held at Prince’s Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 29-30 July 2006. The aim of the Staff Welfare Committee (“SWC”) is to promote the well-being of officers and staff and to foster camaraderie in AGC through organising innovative and interactive activities and events. This was AG Chao’s first corporate retreat with AGC, and the theme marked a return to basics. In his opening speech, AG highlighted our Core Values, which remain our fundamental building blocks even as we continue to re-invent and re-engineer ourselves to meet future challenges. Underlining our efforts in developing AGC into a top-notch organisation, AG’s speech was followed by a presentation by members of the Steering Committee for the Singapore Quality Award, explaining what the Award is about and how AGC intends to achieve it. The officers and staff of each Division in AGC were then given time to take stock of their current and future plans, after which each Division gave a presentation of its Workplan to the entire gathering, setting out its initiatives and plans to address upcoming challenges. The retreat concluded with the eagerly-anticipated Annual Dinner, “Kampong Glamour”. Many turned out in their best “kampong attire”, and had fun playing the “kampong games” of their youth, such as chatek and hopscotch. The special guest at the dinner was the Attorney-General of Malaysia, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, and following his arrival, everyone was treated to a dikir barat performance, given by our very own officers and staff. Our host for the evening was the inimitable Jared Pereira, who spared no one with his rapier wit and no-holds-barred brand of humour. The evening concluded amidst much laughter and merry-making. The highlight of the year for SWC was surely the Annual Dinner held on 29 July 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, in conjunction with AGC’s Corporate Retreat. The theme for the dinner was “Kampung Glamour”, and SWC members enjoyed themselves thoroughly while working hard in organising the pre-dinner games and decorating the ballroom. The annual dinner turned out to be a huge success and will be remembered fondly as one of the most enjoyable annual dinners in recent years. SWC also organised several visits to various places of interest in Singapore. In June 2006, a visit was organised to the Lim Wah Hang Quail Farm, Jurong Frog Farm & Sembawang Hot Spring. In September 2006, AGC staff and their family members also visited the Chee Cheong Fun cum Yam Cake Factory, the Ointment & Balm Factory, and the NEWater Visitor Centre. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Awards in 2006, five agc officers were recipients of national day awards, while a further 38 officers received civil service long service awards. national day awards Heading our list of awardees was the Attorney-General Mr Chao Hick Tin himself, who was bestowed with the Public Service Star (Bar), in recognition of his valuable public service as Chairman of the Internal Security Act Advisory Board. Under his leadership, the Board continued to play the vital role of ensuring that each detention under the Internal Security Act was necessary, in order to safeguard the security of Singapore. PSSC Civil Division Mr Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck was awarded the highly-prestigious Public Administration Medal (Gold), in recognition of his significant contributions to Singapore and, especially, its legal sector. Amongst other things, Mr Chan was Chairman of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and chaired its Working Group on Electronic Commerce. In 2005, under his leadership, UNCITRAL formulated the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. Ms Poh Geok Lan was awarded the Efficiency Medal, while three other officers received the Long Service Medal : Mdm Noraini bte Jantan, Mdm Fouziah Begum d/o Abdul Razak and Ms Salmah Hareer d/o Haneefa Hareer. Congratulations to all on their well-deserved awards! Annual Report 2005/2006 long service awards This year, the following officers were also recognised with Civil Service Long Service Awards, which were presented to them at the AGC National Day Observance Ceremony: 10 years Chong Kah Wei Kalima bte Ali Lee Lit Cheng Christopher Ong Siu Jin Rozanah bte Buang Janet Wang Lan Jee 15 years David Chew Siong Tai Jalilah bte Hussien Mohamad Fahmi bin Yusoff Teo Gek Choo 20 years Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh Wong Kok Weng 25 years Fouziah Begum d/o Abdul Razak Ong Hian Sun 30 years SG Chan Seng Onn Amnah bte Ahmad 35 years Lawrence Ang Boon Kong Susan Quek Ngak Khim Koh Beng Yan (posted to Supreme Court) 40 years Janet Kong Chay Hua Imran bin Abdul Hamid James Elisha Lee Han Leong Patricia Ng Poh Toye Parvathi d/o K Visvalingam Eric Tin Keng Seng Yuen Lye Peng Christopher Goh Eng Chiang Leong Wing Tuck Phang Hsiao Chung Toh Hwee Lian Sa’adiah bte Ahmad Noraini bte Jantan Salmah Hareer d/o Haneefa Hareer Ter Kim Cheu Shirley Tan Ee Neo Cheng Hong Eng Anna Tan Choon Gek Denis Wang Wan We thank them all for their loyal service over the years! 039 39 40 040 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 workload & finances account fy 05 budget 1. Legal Cost 2. Rental of office premises 3. Maintenance Expenses 4. Training, Welfare and Public Relations Local Training, Workshops & Seminars Overseas Travel Staff Recreation and Welfare Staff Suggestion and Productivity Schemes Entertainment Visits of VIPs and Experts Conferences 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 05 actual 366,000 380,000 24,500 7,000 16,400 2,000 14,000 300,000 10,000 38,000 130,000 230,000 15,000 2,610 1,396,360 20,000 305,000 146,970 42,900 167,000 102,000 5,000 3,640 35,397,800 1,704,700 4,459,220 3,004,920 412,320 809,900 2,914,480 37,102,500 615,000 147,483 328,043 17,068 4,425 17,046 1,989 41,277 452,137 11,462 23,444 134,812 160,874 21,954 7,627 1,480,379 19,775 278,384 104,606 40,201 125,180 110,794 5,905 3,373 34,567,335 1,696,794 49,318,340 44,644,159 settlement of agencies payment pursuant miscellaneous to judgments court fees claims total legal liabilities 1,658,297 2,920,574 239,448 557,331 2,980,907 36,264,129 23,473 legal liabilities incurred by ministries paid by agc in fy 2005 legal fees and Ministry of Defence Ministry of Home Affairs Ministry of Law Others 404,462 1,983 1,127,573 200 404,472 101,356 1,127,673 24,796 99,284 22,507 10 90 100 2,089 121,791 2,2891,534,2181,658,297 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 programme/main areas of work workload/performance indicators legal advice and opinions (all divisions) No. of matters attended to 6094 To respond to simple matters within 7 working days (%) 95.80% To respond to complex matters within 14 working days (%) 92.46% 5829 95.68% 91.72% legislation (legis and lrrd) Bills Subsidiary Legislation (SL) To achieve accuracy in publication (%) No. of cases responded to within targeted period (%) No. of typewritten pages No. of typewritten pages 99.99% 99.69% 8768 5835 99.99% 99.95% 7193 7349 Revised Edition of the Acts & Subject index to Acts Revised Edition of the SL Law Reform Papers Survey of International Law Reform Websites No. of published pages No. of Acts No. of published pages No. of papers No. of monthly surveys of selected websites 1121 18 1310 22 12 2506 22 952 21 12 civil (civil division) Civil Hearings No. of attendances 128 125 Routine Matters To respond to routine matters within 7 working days (%) 97.00% 94.00% Recovery of money and foreign worker’s levy No. of files processed 121 344 Tortious claims by and against the Government No. of files processed 81 79 Admission to the bar No. of files processed 194 281 Miscellaneous statutory functions No. of files processed 84 103 Land acquisition No. of files processed 3 18 fy 2004 fy 2005 investigation papers (cjd) To respond to cases within 7 working days (%) 90.88% 90.80% No. of cases 35584 35696 criminal hearings (cjd) Criminal cases No. of cases 3593 Appeals No. of cases 89 Extraditions & Inquiries No. of cases 110 Other hearings No. of cases 49 4063 59 124 29 international legal transactions (iad and cjd) International negotiations and meetings No. of attendances 774.5 To satisfy requests for attendances at meetings (%) 100.00% Dispute resolution / international litigation No. of attendances 738 Mutual legal assistance requests No. of cases 144 To respond to simple matters within 7 working days (%) 86.67% To respond to complex matters within 14 working days (%) 94.44% 877 100.00% 591 166 86.96% 98.04% 1061 69 156 17 18 195 100.00% others (all divisions) Other meetings No. of attendances 1377.5 Inquiries No. of attendances 56 Legal Education No. of attendances 195.5 Visits No. of visits 21 Other events No. of days of events 13.5 Ad-hoc projects No. of attendances 164.5 Treaties database To ensure availability of treaties databases (% of time) 100.00% 041 41 42 042 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 List of AGC-Wide Committees* agc registry of committees Chairperson Ong Hian Sun Secretary Jean Kua Zhizhen Janet Wang Lan Jee Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Leong Wing Tuck Hon Yi James Elisha Lee Han Leong agc annual event 2006 committee Members Chairperson Kevin Lim Meng Ern John Ng Ravneet Kaur Dominic Zou Wen Xi Christopher Goh Eng Chiang Jeanne Lee Ming En Eugene Kwang Yew Choon Sheila Panja Nadan Vimala d/o Samugam Ashraf bin Kader ag’s appreciation dinner committee Chairperson S Jennifer Marie Members Ong Hian Sun Cheng Howe Ming Ong Luan Tze Muhamad Imaduddien bin Abdul Karim Wayne Koh Soon Poh Melinda Moosa Jill Tan Li Ching Toh Shin Hao Kevin Lim Meng Ern Quek Hui Ling Dominic Zou Wen Xi Daphne Chang Wei Hsien Lee Chuan Huei Ravneet Kaur Kalidass s/o Murugaiyan Han Ming Kuang Irene Ng Ai Ling Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Amarjit Singh David Lim Hock Choon Lim Jit Hee Crystal Ong Wai Mun Stella Tan Wei Ling S Jennifer Marie Members Cheng Howe Ming Amarjit Singh Benjamin Yim Geok Choon Chew Chin Yee Christopher Ong Siu Jin Crystal Ong Wai Mun David Khoo Kim Leng Edwin San Ong Kyar Eric Tin Keng Seng Eugene Lee Yee Leng Han Ming Kuang Hay Hung Chun Hon Yi Imran bin Abdul Hamid Janet Wang Lan Jee Janice Wong Shi Hui Jason Chan Tai-Hui Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh Jean Chan Lay Koon Jean Kua Zhizhen Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Jill Tan Li Ching John Ng Kenneth Chuah Mun Wai Kevin Lim Meng Ern Lee Jwee Nguan Lee Lit Cheng Magdalene Koh Mui Chen Mark Tay Swee Keng Muhamad Imaduddien bin Abdul Karim Ng Cheng Thiam Nor’ashikin bte Samdin Ong Luan Tze Paul Chia Kim Huat Ravneet Kaur Shahla Iqbal Stanley Kok Pin Chin Stella Tan Wei Ling Tan Kiat Pheng Tan Wee Soon Tan Wen Hsien Toh Shin Hao Vincent Leow Wayne Koh Soon Poh Teh Hwee Hwee Dominic Zou Wen Xi Kwek Lou Winn Mathew Joseph Christopher Goh Eng Chiang Sharon Ong Su Min Ong Chin Heng Ranjini Ramakrishnan Melinda Moosa Lim Jit Hee Kan Shuk Weng Lee Yean-Lin Jeanne Lee Ming En David Lim Hock Choon Kessler Soh Boon Leng Wendy Chang Mun Lin Teo Meng Peng Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Amy Neo Kim Kiow Farah Asyura bte Muhamad Rena Eng Mei Ying Shobana Nair Shamsiah Bte Alias agc archival & file destruction committee Chairperson Members David Chew Siong Tai Chong Kah Wei Cheng Pei Feng Wong Kok Weng Lionel Yee Woon Chin Jeanne Lee Ming En Joyce Chao Su Ling Phua Wee Chuan Deena bte Abdul Aziz Bajrai agc committee for best sourcing Chairperson SG Chan Seng Onn Secretary Phang Hsiao Chung Dy Secretary Vincent Chua Leng Poh Members Lawrence Ang Boon Kong Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Sivakant Tiwari Ter Kim Cheu S Jennifer Marie David Khoo Kim Leng agc corporate gifts committee Dy Chairperson Advisor Leong Wing Tuck Members Ang Meng Siong Jefry bin Mohamad Chong Hui Ling Leonard Goh Choon Hian Poh Geok Lan Denis Wang Wan Sharon Ong Su Min agc benchmarking committee Chairperson S Jennifer Marie Chairperson Cheng Howe Ming Members Kalidass s/o Murugaiyan Lee Wei Kwang agc corporate retreat 2006 committee Advisor S Jennifer Marie Daniel Koh Poh Leng * This list does not include the numerous Divisional and Departmental committees and sub-committees, whose work is also deeply appreciated. Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Chairpersons Dy Chairperson Denis Wang Wan Amarjit Singh Audrey Seet Kwai Choo David Khoo Kim Leng Han Ming Kuang Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Lau Wing Yum Leong Wing Tuck Secretary agc iso committee Members Tan Kiat Pheng Lim Jit Hee Fanny Chang Daren Tang Heng Shim Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Ashraf bin Kader Choo Poh Lian Edwin San Ong Kyar Fadzilah bte Mohamed Onn Farah Asyura bte Muhamad Hay Hung Chun Imran bin Abdul Hamid Irene Ng Ai Ling Janet Wang Lan Jee Jean Chan Lay Koon Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Kalima bte Ali Leong Wing Tuck Masita bte Mandon Michelle Lee Siew Khin Muhamad Imaddudien bin Abdul Karim Noraini bte Jantan Nurhashimah bte Abdul Razak Patricia Ng Poh Toye Jared Eugene Pereira Ravneet Kaur Sakbania bte Ramad Santhra d/o Aiyyasamy Sareenah bte Mohd Phami Sarojini d/o Somasundram Rajoo Serene Seet Lay Cheng Shahla Iqbal Simran Kaur Toor Stella Tan Wei Ling Susan Quek Ngak Khim Tan Wee Soon Tan Wen Hsien Valathammai d/o Muthupalaniappan Wong Cheng Liang agc emergency planning committee Advisor Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck Chairperson Amarjit Singh Sheila Panja Nadan Members agc gazette editorial committee Editor-in-Chief Hay Hung Chun Members Dominic Zou Wen Xi Phua Wee Chuan Francis Ng Yong Kiat Jason Chan Tai-Hui Chew Chin Yee Wayne Koh Soon Poh Ong Luan Tze Marcus Song Ee Pin Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Jean Kua Zhizhen Vincent Leow Toh Shin Hao Eric Tin Keng Seng Tan Wen Hsien Crystal Ong Wai Mun Stella Tan Wei Ling Mark Tay Swee Keng Leong Wing Tuck Audrey Seet Kwai Choo Bek Ching Ching Emily Teo Sze Yin Joyce Chng Hsiao Wei Mary Ho Norhardeahwati bte Buang agc gift valuation committee Chairperson Wong Kok Weng Members Teo Meng Peng Rena Eng Mei Ying Chairperson S Jennifer Marie Secretary Vincent Chua Leng Poh Members Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Chong Hui Ling Lun Chee Gai Amy Neo Kim Kiow Teo Meng Peng agc km committee Sponsor SG Chan Seng Onn Chairperson Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Dy Chairperson Joyce Chao Su Ling Tan Ken Hwee (up to October 2006) Secretary Regina Tan Members David Chew Siong Tai Benjamin Yim Geok Choon Low Cheong Yeow Lee Wei Kwang Kelly Lim Fong Yin Paul Chia Kim Huat Woon Seow Cheng Gay Meng Choo Jeyashankar s/o Sivalingam Wendy Chang Mun Lin Fanny Chang Jenny Tan Hong Lee Andrew Abraham Phang Hsiao Chung Melinda Moosa Joyce Chng Hsiao Wei Jason Tan Theng Kok Mary Ho Elaine Phang Hui Shien Foong Kah Yam Annual Report 2005/2006 Lee Mun Wei Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Low Lang Cheng agc library committee Chairperson Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Secretary Eric Chin Sze Choong Members Marcus Song Ee Pin Julie Huan Li Yueh Mary Ho Anandan s/o Bala agc mediation service committee Chairperson Han Ming Kuang Members Shahla Iqbal Yvette C Rodrigues agc net economic value steering committee Chairperson SG Chan Seng Onn Secretary Vincent Chua Leng Poh Members Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Lawrence Ang Boon Kong Ter Kim Cheu Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck Sivakant Tiwari Owi Beng Ki S Jennifer Marie agc ndoc 2006 organising committee Advisor S Jennifer Marie 043 43 44 044 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 Chairperson Chairperson Members Cheng Howe Ming Ravneet Kaur Members Audrey Seet Kwai Choo Secretary Pang Khang Chau Amarjit Singh Eugene Lee Yee Leng Tan Kiat Pheng Lee Jwee Nguan Jeanne Lee Ming En Kan Shuk Weng Sharon Ong Su Min Cheryl Leigh Chia Mei Ann Ong Chin Heng Jean Kua Zhizhen Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Janice Wong Shi Hui Muhamad Imaduddien bin Abdul Karim Bernard Yeo Thian Hoe Wayne Koh Soon Poh Toh Shin Hao Dominic Zou Wen Xi Ong Luan Tze agc people’s developer award steering committee Chairperson SG Chan Seng Onn Secretaries Tan Kiat Pheng Wilson Hue Kuan Chen Eric Tin Keng Seng Tan Wee Soon Members Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck S Jennifer Marie Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Julie Huan Li Yueh Mathew Joseph Jenny Tan Hong Lee Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Kelly Lim Fong Yin Lee Chuan Huei Wong Cheng Liang Teo Meng Peng agc secretarial support services Advisor Wong Cheng Liang Patrica Ng Poh Toye Asst Secretary Jefry bin Mohamad Members Shirlynn Loh Soh Leng Ha Yeong Sheng Susan Quek Ngak Khim Fadzilah bte Mohamed Onn Gay Meng Choo Tan Kooi Biaw Shirley Tan Ee Neo Fadzilah bte Jainal Ricky Tan Chee Yong Noraini bte Jantan Chong Hui Ling Shobana Nair Jenny Tan Hong Lee Bernard Yeo Thian Hoe Patricia Ng Poh Toye Yvette C Rodrigues agc sqa report committee Chairperson Eric Tin Keng Seng Vice Chairperson Alvin Koh Meng Sing Members Stella Tan Wei Ling Jean Kua Zhizhen Ong Luan Tze Dominic Zou Wen Xi Hon Yi agc sqa resource committee Chairperson agc security committee Tan Kiat Pheng Chairperson Vice Chairperson Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh Members Eugene Lee Yee Leng Tan Wee Soon Eric Chin Sze Choong Marcus Song Ee Pin agc sqa steering committee Chairperson SG Chan Seng Onn Vice Chairperson S Jennifer Marie Secretaries Eric Tin Keng Seng Stella Tan Wei Ling Jean Kua Zhizhen Wong Cheng Liang Members Phua Wee Chuan Ha Yeong Sheng Wendy Chang Mun Lin Ong Chin Heng Kristine Cheong Wai Leng agc staff welfare committee Chairperson Lim Jit Hee Members Wong Kok Weng Andrew Abraham Imran bin Abdul Hamid Audrey Seet Kwai Choo Eric Chin Sze Choong Wayne Koh Soon Poh Kwek Lou Winn Zeenath Rajandren Bek Ching Ching Francis Ng Yong Kiat Joyce Chng Hsiao Wei Jean Kua Zhizhen Lavanyah Veerapathiran Michelle Ow Yeong Phui Ling Olivine Lin Si Shi Robert Tan S Puspha Sasha Lee Sok San agc wits steering committee Chairperson AG Chao Hick Tin Co-Chairpersons SG Chan Seng Onn 2SG Professor Walter Woon Cheong Ming Members S Jennifer Marie Sivakant Tiwari Lawrence Ang Boon Kong Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck Ter Kim Cheu Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Owi Beng Ki David Chong Gek Sian Ong Hian Sun Lionel Yee Woon Chin Daniel Koh Poh Leng Soh Tze Bian Facilitators Lee Sing Lit Mathew Joseph Wong Kok Weng David Lim Hock Choon Lau Wing Yum Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh Phua Wee Chuan Lee Chuan Huei Phang Hsiao Chung Pang Khang Chau Daphne Hong Fan Sin Cheng Howe Ming Kessler Soh Boon Leng Lun Chee Gai Ha Yeong Sheng Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Annual Report 2005/2006 045 45 List of officers in AGC Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin civil division (from 11 Apr 2006) Principal Snr State Counsel Chan Sek Keong Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck (until 11 Apr 2006) Solicitor-General Chan Seng Onn Second Solicitor-General Prof. Walter Woon Cheong Ming (from 3 Oct 2006) Lee Seiu Kin (until 11 Apr 2006) Special Assistant Raveendran s/o Sundram Pillai (posted from Supreme Court wef 11 Apr 2006) Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers Patricia Ng Poh Toye (posted from Civil Div wef 3 Oct 2006) Vivienne Foo Tee Lan (posted from Civil Div wef 11 April 2006) Shobana Nair (wef 11 April 2006) Koh Beng Yan (posted to Supreme Court wef 11 Apr 2006) Janice Goh Yong Soo (left AGC wef 1 May 2006) Cindy Soh Kheng Ling (posted to CJD wef 11 Apr 2006) Leana Lim Kim Tee (posted to Supreme Court wef 11 Apr 2006) Quality Service Manager Cheng Howe Ming Snr State Counsel David Chong Gek Sian Owi Beng Ki Dy Snr State Counsel Phua Wee Chuan State Counsel Eric Chin Sze Choong Toh Hwee Lian Chong Chin Chin Teh Hwee Hwee Woon Seow Cheng Leonard Goh Choon Hian Ho Su Ching Leong Kwang Ian Zeenath Rajandren Cheryl Leigh Chia Mei Ann Dominic Zou Wen Xi Kwek Lou Winn Lim Yew Jin (posted to IPTO wef 1 Jul 2006) Dy Managers Jeyashankar s/o Sivalingam Gay Meng Choo Manokaran s/o V Sharma (left AGC wef 1 Sep 2006) Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers Stella Tan Bee Yong Tan Kooi Biaw Noraihan bte Osman Irene Ang Jenny Neoh Kim Choo Michelle Chew Kui Fong Margaret Leong Yueh Sim (joined AGC wef 16 Oct 2006) Patricia Ng Poh Toye (posted to AG’s Office wef 3 Oct 2006) Vivienne Foo Tee Lan (posted to AG’s Office wef Low Cheong Yeow (on CAD attachment) 3 Oct 2006) Kamaleswari d/o Balakrishnan (posted from CJD wef 4 May 2006) Operations Support Officers Junainah bte Walet Koh Liang Ju (Angeline) Sivapackiam d/o Thandayutham Susila d/o Maniam Halimahton bte Nawar criminal justice division Principal Snr State Counsel Lawrence Ang Boon Kong Snr State Counsel Ong Hian Sun Daniel Koh Poh Leng S Jennifer Marie Lionel Yee Woon Chin (posted to IAD wef 1 Aug 2006) Dy Snr State Counsel Lee Sing Lit Wong Kok Weng Lau Wing Yum Jaswant Singh s/o Jarnail Singh Ng Cheng Thiam Cheng Howe Ming State Counsel Lim Keng Seong John Ng Mark Tay Swee Keng Leong Wing Tuck Nor’ashikin bte Samdin Amarjit Singh David Khoo Kim Leng Shahla Iqbal Tan Kiat Pheng David Chew Siong Tai Anandan s/o Bala Eugene Lee Yee Leng Wendy Yap Peng Hoon (posted from LRRD wef 15 Sept 2006) Hay Hung Chun Han Ming Kuang Peter Koy Su Hua (on CAD attachment) Lee Cheow Han Benjamin Yim Geok Choon Eric Tin Keng Seng Lee Lit Cheng Christopher Ong Siu Jin James Elisha Lee Han Leong Alvin Koh Meng Sing Janet Wang Lan Jee Imran bin Abdul Hamid Gilbert Low Teik Seang (posted fr Subordinate Courts wef 1 Jul 2006) Ravneet Kaur Edwin San Ong Kyar Jason Chan Tai-Hui Chew Chin Yee Vincent Leow Marie Christina Koh Sok Kheng Francis Ng Yong Kiat Lee Kee Yeng (posted from Supreme Court wef 1 Feb 2006) Jill Tan Li Ching Gillian Koh-Tan (posted from Supreme Court wef 1 Feb 2006) Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Paul Chia Kim Huat April Phang Suet Fern Tan Wee Soon Lee Jwee Nguan Paul Quan Kaih Shiuh Stanley Kok Pin Chin Tan Wen Hsien Wayne Koh Soon Poh 46 046 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Muhamad Imaduddien bin Abdul Karim Shawn Ho Hsi Ming Magdalene Koh Mui Chen Quek Hui Ling (posted from Supreme Court wef 1 Feb 2006) Janice Wong Shi Hui (posted from Supreme Court wef 1 Feb 2006) Ong Luan Tze Crystal Ong Wai Mun Jean Kua Zhizhen Diane Tan Yi-Lui (joined AGC wef 5 Jun 2006) Kevin Lim Meng Ern Toh Shin Hao Kenneth Chuah Mun Wai Jean Chan Lay Koon Stella Tan Wei Ling Samuel Chua Hwa Kuan (joined AGC wef 1 Aug 2006) Anne Cher Sui Lin (joined AGC wef 1 Aug 2006) Adeline Ee Li Ching (joined AGC wef 1 Aug 2006) Karen Ang Aiping (joined AGC wef 15 Aug 2006) Loke Shiu Meng (left AGC wef 19 Jun 2006) Abigail Elizabeth Ng Hwei-Mei (left AGC wef 1 Mar 2006) Hamidul Haq (left AGC wef 9 Mar 2006) Adam Nakhoda (posted to CCS wef 1 Apr 2006) Annual Report 2005/2006 Jared Eugene Pereira (left AGC wef 20 Sept 2006) Woo Ka Wai (left AGC wef 1 Oct 2006) Chong Li Min (left AGC wef 12 Oct 2006) Hwong Meng Jet (left AGC wef 14 Nov 2006) Assistant Public Prosecutors Santhra d/o Aiyyasamy Valathammai d/o Muthupalaniappan Robert Tan Jesintha d/o Veijayaratnam Kalaithasan s/o Karuppaya Kalidass s/o Murugaiyan Hon Yi S Puspha Jayarajan s/o Gopalakrishna Serene Seet Lay Cheng Ramesh Ethan Ananda Suppiah Eugene Kwang Yew Choon Simran Kaur Toor Sasha Lee Sok San Lavanyah Veerapathiran Olivine Lin Si Shi Evelyn Lee Jasmine (joined AGC wef 1 Jun 2006) Assistant Director Ha Yeong Sheng Senior Manager Aaron Lee Teck Chye Wong Cheng Liang Derek Kang Yu Hsien Managers (left AGC wef 2 May 2006) (left AGC wef 2 May 2006) Deborah Tan Ek Jin Shirlynn Loh Soh Leng Kelly Lim Fong Yin Lee Wei Kwang Daphne Chang Wei Hsien Senior Deputy Manager Glenn Seah Kim Ming (left AGC wef 19 May 2006) (posted to LAB wef 15 Jun 2006) (posted to MOE wef 1 Jul 2006) Eddy Tham Tong Kong (posted to Subordinate Courts wef 1 Sept 2006) Chong Kah Wei (posted to LRRD wef 15 Sept 2006) Sarojini d/o Somasundram Rajoo Deputy Managers Sheila d/o Panja Nadan Susan Quek Ngak Khim Fadzilah bte Mohamed Onn Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers Snr State Counsel Irene Ng Ai Ling Cindy Soh Kheng Ling (posted from CJD wef 1 Aug 2006) (posted from AG’s Office wef 11 Apr 2006) Suriani bte Demon Sarini bte Mohd Yasar Sareenah bte Mohd Phami Maslizah bte Husain Khan Amnah bte Ahmad Jalilah bte Hussein Hamidah bte Umar Kalima bte Ali Vimala d/o Samugam Siti Nuraisha bte Ahmad Nurhashimah bte Abdul Razak Cecila Yeo-Ho Chin Choo Maria Sissy Neo Wenzhu (join AGC wef 3 May 2006) Nagajoethi d/o Varadarasu (join AGC wef 3 May 2006) Kamaleswari d/o Balakrishnan (posted to Civil Div wef 4 May 2006) Adelia Tay Tzu Ching (posted to Supreme Court wef 11 April 2006) Operations Support Officers Rohayati bte Darhoni Parvathi d/o K Visvalingam Kamisah bte Hamzah Saadiah bte Ahmad Ashraf bin Abdul Kader Rozanah bte Buang Junainah bte Saini Sujata d/o Nanoo Sakbania bte Ramad Lionel Yee Woon Chin Soh Tze Bian David Chong Gek Sian (posted to LRRD wef 1 Aug 2006) Dy Snr State Counsel Mathew Joseph Pang Khang Chau Daphne Honsg Fang Sin (posted from Supreme Court wef 1 Nov 2006) Tan Ken Hwee (posted to Supreme Court wef 2 Oct 2006) State Counsel Christopher Goh Eng Chiang Wilson Hue Kuan Chen Deena bte Abdul Aziz Bajrai Daren Tang Heng Shim Sharon Ong Su Min Ong Chin Heng Marcus Song Ee Pin Cheng Pei Feng Jason Tan Theng Kok Ranjini Ramakrishnan Deputy Managers Audrey Seet Kwai Choo Ang Meng Siong Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers international affairs division Shirley Tan Ee Neo Michelle Lee Siew Khin Farizah bte Jainal Eswari d/o Sivanganam Nooryah bte Jasmani Bek Ching Ching Principal Snr State Counsel Operations Support Officers Sivakant Tiwari Cindy Yeong Sue Hwee Teo Gek Choo Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore law reform and revision division Principal Snr State Counsel Charles Lim Aeng Cheng Snr State Counsel David Chong Gek Sian (posted from IAD Div wef 1 Aug 2006) Dy Snr State Counsel Kessler Soh Boon Leng State Counsel Joyce Chao Su Ling Wendy Chang Mun Lin Chong Kah Wei (posted from CJD wef 15 Sept 2006) Wendy Yap Peng Hoon (posted to CJD wef 15 Sept 2006) Manager Jenny Tan Hong Lee legislation division Principal Snr State Counsel Ter Kim Cheu Snr State Counsel Owi Beng Ki Dy Snr State Counsel Assistant Director Fanny Chang Yvette Christine Rodrigues Research Officer Andrew Abraham Manager Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers Yuen Lye Peng Jefry bin Mohamad Gurbachan Kaur d/o Bishen Singh Asha Devi Noraini bte Jantan Operations Support Officer Elizabeth Eng Mui Kin Regina Tan Shea Fang (posted from CSD (OMU) wef 15 Jun 2006) Janet Kong Chay Hua Fouziah Begum d/o Abdul Razak Salmah Hareer d/o Haneefa Hareer Rubayah bte Abdul Aziz Md Ibrahim Osman (wef 2 Oct 2006) Tan Ken Hwee (posted to Supreme Court wef 2 Oct 2006) Dy Director Elaine Phang Hui Shien Assistant Directors (posted to ACRA wef 1 Feb 2006) Deputy Manager Associate IT Consultant Director Lee Chuan Huei State Counsel Melinda Moosa Hema Subramanian Lim Jit Hee Kan Shuk Weng Jeanne Lee Ming En Lee Yean-Lin Julie Huan Li Yueh Emily Teo Sze Yin Elena Pearlyn Yeo Ju Lan Operations Support Officers computer information systems department David Lim Hock Choon Lee Chuan Huei Phang Hsiao Chung Phang Hsiao Chung Kessler Soh Boon Leng Toh Hwee Lian Christopher Ong Siu Jin Ong Chin Heng Marcus Song Ee Pin Jason Chan Tai-Hui Vincent Leow Dominic Zou Wen Xi Hon Yi Deputy Managers Information System Manager Joyce Chng Hsiao Wei Poh Geok Lan Elaine Phang Hui Shien Personal Assistants/ Corporate Support Officers James Tay Anna Tan Choon Gek Ricky Tan Chee Yong Sabrina Solomon Surinder Kaur Shalindah bte Shaharuddin Annual Report 2005/2006 Snr IT Consultant IT Consultants Foong Kah Yam Yvonne Lau Lee Mun Wei Computer Information Assistants Choo-Peh Poh Lian Jegathambigai Krishnan Masita bte Mandon Corporate Support Officer Michelle Ow Yeong Phui Ling corporate services division Director S Jennifer Marie Financial Management Unit Manager Vincent Chua Leng Poh (posted from MOH wef 21 Aug 2006) Lim Hwei Chen (posted to MCYS wef 1 Oct 2006) Deputy Manager Teo Meng Peng Finance Supervisor Denis Wang Wan Assistant Finance Supervisor Cheng Hong Eng Finance Officer Farah Asyura bte Muhamad 047 47 048 48 Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore Human Resource Management Unit Manager Kristine Cheong Wai Leng Human Resource Executive Amy Neo Kim Kiow Human Resource Officer Rena Eng Mei Ying Operations Support Officer Shamsiah Alias Office Management Unit Annual Report 2005/2006 Personnel Management Unit Managers Lun Chee Gai Chong Hui Ling Personnel Executive Low Lang Cheng Personnel Officer Sudyana Stiawaty bte Sudjono Operations Support Officers Mohd Fahmi bin Yusoff Samsiya bte Taib Loo Lee Eng Loh Soon Liang 15 Jun 2006) Office Superintendent Bernard Yeo Thian Hoe Assistant Office Superintendant Shobana Nair Operations Support Officer Sarojah d/o Kumaravellu Irwan Ahmad (left AGC wef 24 Jul 2006) Internal Auditor Tang Wee Ling (wef 18 Dec 2006) See Choon Howe (left AGC wef 2 Nov 2006) library Librarian Mary Ho Library Officers Marsani Pandi Fauziah Zainal Norhardeahwati Noraini Suratin Library Attendant Manager Regina Tan (posted to Legis Div wef Internal Audit Unit Public Affairs Unit Head Cheng Howe Ming Public Affairs Officers Shahla Iqbal Han Ming Kuang Christopher Ong Siu Jin Ravneet Kaur Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Muhamad Imaduddien bin Abdul Karim Ong Luan Tze Crystal Ong Wai Mun Jean Kua Zhizhen Samuel Chua Hwa Kuan Cheryl Leigh Chia Mei Ann Sharon Ong Su Min Kan Shuk Weng Jeanne Lee Ming En Ruzainah bte Ashari Editorial Committee advisor S Jennifer Marie editors-in-chief Christopher Ong Siu Jin Jill Tan Li Ching Cheng Howe Ming secretary Crystal Ong Wai Mun members & contributors ( in alphabetical order ) Chong Kah Wei Mary Ho Jeyendran s/o Jeyapal Kan Shuk Weng Wayne Koh Soon Poh Gillian Koh-Tan Lee Chuan Huei Jeanne Lee Ming En Leong Kwang Ian Lim Hwei Chen Lim Jit Hee Kelly Lim Fong Yin Ong Luan Tze Sharon Ong Su Min Elaine Phang Hui Shien Eric Tin Keng Seng Wendy Yap Peng Hoon photographers ( in alphabetical order ) Hon Yi Eugene Lee Yee Leng Leong Wing Tuck Dominic Zou Wen Xi public affairs unit ( in alphabetical order ) Shahla Iqbal Simran Kaur Toor Jean Kua Zhizhen Lee Kee Yeng Zeenath Rajandren attorney-gener al’s chambers attorney-gener al’s chambers attorney-gener al’s chambers attorney-gener al’s chambers attorney-gener al’s chambers 1 Coleman Street, #10-00, attorney-gener al’s chambers Singapore 179803 al’s chambers attorney-gener attorney-gener al’s chambers T +65-6336-1411 al’s chambers attorney-gener F +65-6332-5984 al’s chambers 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