As the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court plays a crucial role in setting the quality and standard of adjudication of disputes and administration of court processes, in order to fulfil its constitutional role in dispensing justice to all without fear or favour. Equally important, the Supreme Court must lead by example and precept in ensuring that the public has full confidence in the administration of justice in Singapore. We can only do this if we are able to resolve disputes quickly and fairly, while being sensitive to the needs of the community at large.

2008 was a busy year for the Supreme Court, but the last quarter saw the onset of a global recession that will affect Singapore very badly. But whether the economy is good or bad, we must carry out our judicial duties efficiently as our contribution to nationhood. Because our role in this endeavour is indispensable, it is morally incumbent on us to do our part as best we can. Every Judge, judicial officer and member of the administrative staff must do his part and not let others do it for him.

Last year, the number of criminal and civil cases filed at the High Court has increased significantly. Notably, the filings of writ actions (i.e. civil cases which are resolved by way of trials) rose by 24% in 2008. The number of appeals lodged with the Court of Appeal has likewise gone up by 34%. As the economy is predicted to be worse this year than in 2008, we are likely to have a bigger caseload as experience shows that litigation flourishes when the economy falters. Fortunately, we have the means and the will to meet these challenges, as we have been building up our management and adjudicative capabilities over the years.

First, the Supreme Court has a dedicated Bench with a diversity of private and public sector experiences in different areas of law practice. The current judicial strength of the Bench lies in this diversity. I am especially pleased to welcome Justice Chao Hick Tin back to the Supreme Court Bench as Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, after his distinguished public service as Attorney-General. Together with Justices Andrew Phang and V K Rajah, the Court of Appeal has been working at full strength for the better part of last year, as a result of which the productivity of the court has surpassed that in previous years, in terms of the number of appeals and applications heard and the number of judgments written, including the number of pages taken up by those judgments.

Our second approach has been to remodel our administrative processes to maximise judicial productivity. In 2008, we reorganised ourselves to free up the time of High Court Judges so that they could concentrate on hearing trials. The Court of Appeal Judges heard more District Court Appeals and Magistrate’s Appeals cases, while less contentious matters were delegated to the Registrars. These allowed us to increase the number of days for hearings in 2008 by 15%, with the same number of Judges.

Our third approach to address increasing caseloads has been to constantly improve our administrative infrastructure and management support. In 2008, the Supreme Court successfully implemented the Application and Case E-Management System (ACES), which allowed cases to be monitored and managed automatically, while streamlining the myriad of administrative steps required in the fixing of court dates.

Looking further ahead, the Supreme Court (through Justice Lee Seiu Kin and his team of judicial officers) has just awarded a tender in August 2008 to build a new Integrated Electronic Litigation System (“i-ELS”) that will replace the existing Electronic Filing System. This new system promises a paradigm shift from the current document-centric system to an information-centric model. Once completed, i-ELS will set even higher standards of judicial efficiency with real-time monitoring, sophisticated statistical analysis, automated workflows and a seamless interface between the courts and end-users. It promises to herald a new era of sophisticated case management that will allow us to optimise the use of judicial resources even further.

Nevertheless, while timely and efficient justice is important, it must be remembered that the quality of justice must never be compromised in the quest for quantitative improvement. Every litigant is entitled to have his day in court, and a solemn assurance that his case will be deliberated upon fully and impartially. This fundamental principle of justice has and continues to be the guiding precept of our court system.

Beyond the courtroom, the Supreme Court Judges have actively spearheaded law and policy reforms. After the latest spate of cases involving misappropriation of clients’ monies in conveyancing cases, a working committee led by Justice V K Rajah has recommended a fundamental change to the way conveyancing has been practised in Singapore since time immemorial. If and when the change is implemented, lawyers will no longer be allowed to hold clients’ monies in conveyancing transactions. Other established panels such as the Rules of Court Working Party and the Sentencing and Bail Review Panel have continued to review existing civil procedure rules and sentencing benchmarks and norms to ensure that we are, to use a management cliché, ahead of the curve. Further, the Supreme Court is also developing a protocol for electronic discovery and inspection, to deal with the exponential increase of documents contained in the digital medium.

As we say goodbye to 2008 in this annual report, we are confident that come what may in 2009, we will be able to acquit ourselves with the customary dedication and excellence in the discharge of our constitutional duties as the custodian and dispenser of justice in Singapore.




Chan Sek Keong
Chief Justice, Republic of Singapore