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S’pore appoints first woman as permanent judge of apex court

SINGAPORE — Justices Judith Prakash and Tay Yong Kwang have been appointed as Judges of Appeal, with the former becoming the first woman to be appointed as a permanent judge of the Singapore Court of Appeal.

Justice Judith Prakash. Photo: PMO

Justice Judith Prakash. Photo: PMO

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SINGAPORE — Justices Judith Prakash and Tay Yong Kwang have been appointed as Judges of Appeal, with the former becoming the first woman to be appointed as a permanent judge of the Singapore Court of Appeal.

In addition, Mr Pang Khang Chau and Ms Audrey Lim have been appointed as judicial commissioners for a term of three years, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday (June 29).

A Judicial Commissioner has the powers of a High Court judge and is appointed for a specific period determined by the President.

The new appointments will take effect on Aug 1.

Justice Prakash was appointed as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on April 1, 1992 and a High Court judge on April 1, 1995. Specialising in complex commercial cases, arbitration, company, and trust laws, she has sat as a judge in the Court of Appeal occasionally since 2002 and more regularly since 2014. Apart from her judicial duties, Justice Prakash, 65, also chairs the Singapore Academy of Law’s Law Reform Committee and Publications Committee.

Likewise, Justice Tay was a district judge before being appointed as a judicial commissioner on Oct 15, 1997 and a High Court judge on Jan 2, 2003. He has occasionally sat as a judge in the apex court since 2003 and more regularly since 2014.

Justice Tay, 60, is also a member of the Constitutional Commission on Elected Presidency and chairs the Civil Justice Commission that is currently reviewing the Rules of Court that govern civil procedure in the courts.

Meanwhile, Mr Pang, 46, joined the legal service in 1995 as a State Counsel in the Civil Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), and is currently the Director-General of the International Affairs Division of the AGC.

Attorney-General V K Rajah noted that Mr Pang had played a key role in some of the most significant foreign policy achievements of Singapore in the past decade, including the Pedra Branca dispute with Malaysia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In May 2008, the ICJ awarded Singapore sovereignty over the tiny island of Pedra Branca, ending a nearly three-decade-long territorial dispute between the two countries.

Ms Lim joined the legal service in 1994, with previous postings to the Supreme Court, State Courts and the AGC in both criminal and civil matters. She is currently the Deputy Chief Legislative Counsel in the AGC.

Noting that she was a key member of the AGC’s senior leadership team, Mr Rajah said Ms Lim has been in charge of law revision and knowledge management in the Legislation Division, as well as a law-drafting portfolio covering education, population policies, among others.

“Both of them (Mr Pang and Ms Lim) have contributed much as senior leaders of AGC to make AGC what it is today and in preparing AGC for tomorrow,” he added.

With these appointments, the Supreme Court — which is made up of the Court of Appeal and the High Court — will have a total of 14 judges, including four Judges of Appeal and the Chief Justice, and 12 Judicial Commissioners.

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