3 new Judicial Commissioners appointed to Supreme Court Bench

SINGAPORE — The Supreme Court Bench is set to expand with the appointment of three new Judicial Commissioners, including current Second Solicitor-General at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) Mavis Chionh, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday (Feb 12).

Along with Ms Chionh, the new appointments are Principle District Judge of the Civil Justice Division in the State Courts Tan Puay Boon and Senior Counsel Ang Cheng Hock of Allen & Gledhill.

With this, the Supreme Court now has 21 judges, seven Judicial Commissioners, four Senior Judges and 15 International Judges.

Mr Tan’s and Ms Chionh’s three-year terms will take effect on Mar 12, while Mr Ang’s 18-month term will take effect on May 14 till Nov 13, 2019.

Ms Chionh, 48, notably led the prosecution of Kong Hee and five others from City Harvest Church. The case, which became one of the longest-running trials in Singapore’s legal history, spanned more than 140 days.

Ms Chionh was the Chief Prosecutor in the AGC’s then-Economic Crimes and Governance Division in 2011, continuing the role when the division was re-designated the Financial and Technology Crime Division in 2014. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2015 and took on the Chief Prosecutor position in the criminal justice division in the same year. She then became Third Solicitor-General in 2016, and subsequently Second Solicitor-General last year.

Commenting on the announcement, Attorney-General Lucien Wong described Ms Chionh as a veteran in the public legal service sector. He noted that she was the lead prosecutor in some of the most high profile court cases in Singapore, including the City Harvest case.

“Her knowledge, stamina, and commitment to excellence; qualities which are sine qua non to being an outstanding public service officer, have served AGC and the public well,” Mr Wong said.

Mr Tan, 62, has more than 30 years in Singapore’s legal service, both on and off the Bench. He has been Principal District Judge of the State Courts’ Civil Justice Division since April 2015.

He was previously a District Judge of the State Courts, Director of the Ministry of Law’s Legal Aid Bureau, and Chief Information Officer of the ministry.

Mr Ang was appointed Senior Counsel in 2009. He was then 38, one of the youngest lawyers to be so appointed.

He is currently a partner in Allen & Gledhill, where he practises in the litigation and dispute resolution dispute department. He is also a member of the firm’s executive committee.

The swearing-in ceremonies for Mr Tan and Ms Chionh will be held on March 16 at the Istana, while Mr Ang will be sworn in on May 17.