Appointment of Justice Quentin Loh as Judge of Supreme Court of Fiji

Justice Quentin Loh was appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Fiji on the non-resident panel with effect 15 August 2018. The appointment will be for a period of 3 years in the first instance and will be held by Justice Loh concurrently with his appointment as full-time Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

2. Justice Loh will spend 3 weeks in Fiji in a year to hear cases in an appellate capacity. He will sit together with Judges of the Supreme Court of Fiji and it is expected that he will, in the main, hear commercial and civil cases.

3. The move follows a similar appointment of Justice Judith Prakash as a Judge of Appeal on a part-time basis in the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts in March 2017.

4. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said that “Such appointments of our judges to foreign courts reflects the high regard in which the Singapore Judiciary is held and it will enhance our standing as a leading legal and judicial centre in Asia. It is also a reflection of the excellent relations between our two countries and our courts. Chief Justice Gates of Fiji worked closely with me to bring this initiative to fruition and we see this as an important step in contributing to the development of the rule of law internationally”. Justice Quentin Loh, in welcoming the opportunity to contribute to the Judiciary in Fiji added that he was “honoured by the appointment and was grateful for the opportunity that this appointment afforded him to experience a different judicial environment and to help enhance the warm relations between Singapore and Fiji and between our courts”.

5. “We are very fortunate”, said Chief Justice Anthony Gates “to have Justice Loh on Fiji’s Supreme Court. His appointment follows our intention of involving senior judges from a variety of jurisdictions to share their jurisprudence”.

SUPREME COURT OF SINGAPORE

SUPREME COURT OF FIJI

21 AUGUST 2018

End

About the Supreme Court of Fiji

The Supreme Court is the Final Appellate Court in Fiji. According to section 98 of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji, the Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice, who sits as the President of the Court along with Panel of Judges appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court under Section 106 of the Constitution.

The Court has sessional sittings and there are 3 sittings for this year. They are currently having the second session, the third session is scheduled for October.

Apart from being a Final Appellate Court, the Supreme Court also has Original Jurisdiction in respect to Constitutional interpretation which may be referred to it.

The decisions of the Supreme Court are binding on all other Courts in the State. The Supreme Court can also review any Judgment, pronouncement or order made by it.

About the Supreme Court of Singapore

The Singapore Judiciary’s function is to administer justice to the people of Singapore. It is made up of the Supreme Court, the State Courts and the Family Justice Courts.

The Supreme Court consists of the High Court and the Court of Appeal and hears both criminal and civil cases. The High Court exercises original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. It hears cases in the first instance as well as cases on appeal from the State Courts. The Court of Appeal generally hears appeals against the decisions of the High Court in both civil and criminal matters. It became Singapore's final court of appeal on 8 April 1994, when appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council were abolished.

On the international front, the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) was launched on 5 January 2015 as a division of the Supreme Court, providing parties a prime destination for resolving international commercial disputes. The SICC builds upon the success of Singapore’s vibrant arbitration sector to further enhance Singapore’s international standing as a key legal and business hub in Asia, as well as a leading centre for international commercial dispute resolution.