PMO Media Release: Appointment of New Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court

Appointment of New Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court

           The President of the Republic of Singapore has appointed Mr Tan Pheng Wee Christopher (陈炳维) and Ms Tan Ruyan Kristy (陈如燕) as Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court under Article 95(4)(a) of the Constitution, with effect from 1 Oct 2023 for a period of two years.

2         At the same time, in accordance with Article 95(4)(a) of the Constitution, the President of the Republic of Singapore has also appointed Mr Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir (莫哈默费扎尔) as Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court for a period of two years with effect from 2 May 2024.

Mr Tan Pheng Wee Christopher

3         Mr Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (1st Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1998 and obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard University in 2003. He also obtained a Bachelor of Science in Banking & Finance (1st Class Honours) from the University of London in 2006.

4         He served his pupillage in Rajah & Tann before joining the Legal Service in 1999 as a Justices’ Law Clerk.  In 2001, he joined the then Subordinate Courts as a Magistrate and subsequently as a District Judge.  Since 2003, Mr Tan has served in various capacities in the Legal and Judicial services, including as a Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Chambers, as Director of the Mergers Unit and subsequently as Director of the Legal and Enforcement Division in the Competition Commission of Singapore, and as Director of Enforcement in the Capital Markets Division and subsequently as Executive Director of the Investment Intermediaries Department of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.  In 2014, he returned to the Judiciary, serving first as a Senior Assistant Registrar in the Supreme Court and subsequently as a District Judge in the Criminal Justice Division of the State Courts. In 2020, Mr Tan was appointed Registrar of the State Courts and, in 2022, was concurrently appointed as Deputy Presiding Judge of the State Courts.

5         Mr Tan is a member of the Disciplinary Commission (constituted under the Medical Registration Act), a member of the Sentencing Advisory Panel, a member of the Rules Committee (constituted under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act) and a member of the Judiciary Personnel Board.  He was awarded The Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2011.

Ms Tan Ruyan, Kristy

6         Ms Tan Ruyan, Kristy obtained an LLB (Hons) from the National University of Singapore in 2004, and was called to the Singapore Bar in May 2005. She joined Allen & Gledhill LLP, practising in the areas of civil and commercial litigation and arbitration, and was made a Partner in 2010. In 2013, she was made an Equity Partner, and was recognised in Benchmark Litigation as a Future Star (Singapore).

7         In March 2018, Ms Tan moved from private practice to join the Legal Service. She serves as Head (Advocacy Group) and (concurrently, since April 2021) Deputy Chief Counsel (Civil Division) at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and conducts litigation in the areas of civil, criminal and public law and public inquiries.

8         In 2021, Ms Tan was appointed Senior Counsel.

Mr Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir

9         Mr Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir joined the Singapore Legal Service after graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (1st Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 2005. He also obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 2009.

10       In his 18 years in the Singapore Legal Service, Mr Faizal has served in numerous capacities, including as a Justices’ Law Clerk and as an Assistant Registrar in the Supreme Court of Singapore, a Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), and as General Counsel & Director (Legal) in the Singapore Medical Council. He presently serves as the Second Chief Prosecutor of the Crime Division at the AGC. He has written extensively in various areas of law, with a special focus in the areas of criminal law and procedure and Muslim law and was also General Editor of Criminal Procedure Code: Annotations and Commentary (Academy Publishing: 2012).

11       Mr Faizal, who was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2016, has received numerous awards for his legal scholarship as well as his work in public service and in the wider community, including the International Insolvency Institute’s Gold Medal in International Insolvency Studies, the Public Administration Medal (Bronze), the Berita Harian Anugerah Jauhari 2020 (the Achiever of the Year Award), the Association of Conflict Resolution’s International Outstanding Leadership Award and the President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award.

12       Mr Faizal presently serves on several committees and boards, including on the Criminal Procedure Code Rules Committee, the SAL Journal Advisory Committee, the SAL Ethical and Professional Standards Committee, the Board of Advisors of Advisory.sg, the Advisory Board of Silent Heroes (Singapore) and the MUIS Appeal Board.

13       Mr Faizal was appointed Senior Counsel in 2020.

14       With these appointments and reappointment in 2023, the Supreme Court will have a total of 28 Judges (including the Chief Justice, and four Justices of the Court of Appeal), three Judicial Commissioners, six Senior Judges and 19 International Judges.


Issued by: Prime Minister's Office