EditRegion3

Judges' Profile



Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong conferred the International Jurists Award


On 21 November 2009, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong was conferred the prestigious International Jurists Award - 2009 by the International Council of Jurists, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the area of administration of justice.





The award was presented to the Chief Justice by Her Excellency the President of India, Mrs Pratibha D Patil, at the International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism in New Delhi, India, where Chief Justice Chan gave an address before he received the award.


Previous recipients of the International Jurists Award for outstanding contribution in the area of administration of justice include the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Right Honourable Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, and the Chief Justice of Canada, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin.



Supreme and Federal Courts Judges’ Conference, Hobart, Australia


Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Judge of Appeal V K Rajah attended the Supreme and Federal Courts Judges’ Conference in Hobart, Australia from 24 to 28 January 2009. The latest legal and judicial developments in Australia are discussed at this annual gathering of senior Australian and regional Justices. The keynote speaker at this year’s event was The Honourable Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, of the High Court of Australia, speaking just one month before his retirement from the bench. There were also sessions on meeting the challenges of complex civil litigation as well as judicial ethics in and out of court.



Commonwealth Law Conference 2009, Hong Kong


Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong attended the Commonwealth Law Conference 2009 in the Hong Kong SAR, from 4 to 7 April 2009, where he participated as Chairman of the session on Legal Professional Privilege. At the session, Mr Graeme Johnston, Managing Partner, Herbert Smith LLP (China), spoke on the “Protection of the Confidentiality of Legal Advice under Hong Kong Law” and Mr Colin Passmore, Senior Litigation Partner, Simmons & Simmons (London), presented on “Who is the Client for Privilege Purposes: a Brief Commonwealth Survey?”. Chief Justice Chan also shared the approach taken by Singapore in Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (Publ), Singapore Branch v Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd [2007] 2 SLR 367.


During the conference, Chief Justice Chan also attended the Patron Chief Justices’ Meeting of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute.



Qatar Law Forum, Doha, Qatar


From 29 to 31 May 2009, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong attended the inaugural Qatar Law Forum, where Chief Justices, Judges, academics, practitioners, central bankers and regulators from common law, civil law and Islamic law jurisdictions gathered to discuss the legal challenges of the rule of law in the face of globalisation. Participants also discussed issues involving the interaction of domestic and international law against the backdrop and demands of globalisation.




Chief Justice Chan receiving a token of appreciation from Chief Justice of Qatar, Masoud Bin Muhammad Al-Ameri



As one of the panellists in the plenary session on “Justice in the 21st Century: The Challenge of Globalisation”, Chief Justice Chan spoke about Singapore’s development under the rule of law. He focused on the importance of amending laws to meet the needs of the financial sector, while ensuring that the cultural and moral values of the country remain unchanged. Chief Justices from England, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Uganda were also on the panel.



13th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam


Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong attended the 13th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific held in the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 8 to 12 November 2009. At the conference, Chief Justice Chan chaired a session on the topic of enhancing the efficiency of courts. He also delivered a paper about securing and maintaining the independence of the court in judicial proceedings.


The event was attended by Chief Justices and delegates from over 30 jurisdictions in the Asia Pacific region, including leading common law jurisdictions such as Australia, the Hong Kong SAR, and New Zealand.