SINGAPORE — Four Judicial Commissioners will be promoted to High Court Judges from Sept 30, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced on Wednesday (Aug 16).

They are Judicial Commissioners (JC) Thean Pik Yuen Valerie, Hoo Sheau Peng, Debbie Ong Siew Ling and Aedit Abdullah.

With the new appointments, there will now be 22 judges - including five Judges of Appeal and the Chief Justice - four Judicial Commissioners, five Senior Judges and 12 International Judges.

JC Thean, who has been the presiding judge of the Family Justice Courts since October 2014, will also hand over the role to JC Ong when her term ends on Sept 29. JC Ong was previously an associate professor specialising in family law at the National University of Singapore before being appointed to the Bench in November 2014.

JC Thean has served in the courts, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), as well as the Ministry of Law. She was previously the Senior District Judge of the family and juvenile division of the State Courts, prior to her elevation to the High Court Bench in September 2014.

The PMO said JC Thean played an active role in the development of family law and practice locally, and in the region. For instance, she currently co-chairs the Council of ASEAN Chief Judges Working Group on Cross-border Child Disputes.

Meanwhile, JC Hoo, who has over 20 years of legal experience, is the first woman judge to hear criminal cases in the High Court. Last year, she presided over 16 criminal cases, including five capital punishment cases.

JC Aedit was previously the Chief Prosecutor of the AGC's criminal justice division, before assuming the role of Judicial Commissioner in November 2014. He was conferred the status of Senior Counsel in 2012.