Kwek Mean Luck appointed Solicitor-General

SINGAPORE — Mr Kwek Mean Luck (picture), 43, will take over as Solicitor-General from Jan 14, when his predecessor’s promotion to Deputy Attorney-General (AG) takes effect.

His current Second Solicitor-General post will be filled by Ms Mavis Chionh Sze Chyi, 47, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) announced yesterday.

Ms Chionh is presently the Third Solicitor-General.

The reshuffle came one week after the Prime Minister’s Office announced that current Solicitor-General Lionel Yee would be made joint Deputy AG with Mr Tan Siong Thye, as part of top corporate lawyer Lucian Wong’s appointment as Singapore’s new AG.

During his time as Second Solicitor-General, Mr Kwek appeared for the State in several high-profile cases, including against teenage blogger Amos Yee, the Coroner’s Inquiry for the May 2015 shooting near Shangri-La Hotel, and against former BSI wealth planner Yeo Jiawei.

Before that, he held various appointments in the Legal Service and Administrative Service.

Ms Chionh acted for the State against six leaders of City Harvest Church — a case that spanned more than two years. She was appointed as Third Solicitor-General in August this year, after holding a range of appointments in the AGC and the courts.

Commenting on the appointments, outgoing AG V K Rajah said Mr Kwek’s “skills, experience and track record make him more than well qualified to take on the responsibilities of the Solicitor-General”.

He added that Ms Chionh’s appointment was both a recognition of her contributions and an affirmation that she will play a significant role in leading his chambers towards institutional excellence.

Mr Rajah, who will hand over the AG hat to Mr Wong on Jan 14 when he reaches the retirement age of 60, said: “With these appointments, I am assured that I will be leaving AGC with a very strong leadership team in place.”