18 July 2023
1. On 18 July 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and the Supreme Court of Singapore to strengthen communication, collaboration and cooperation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution.
2. The MOU was signed by The Honourable Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong on behalf of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on behalf of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Present at the signing ceremony was the High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to Singapore, His Excellency Dato Paduka Haji Sidek bin Ali.
3. The Chief Justice together with a delegation of senior judges and judicial officers also made visits to Singapore's Supreme Court, State Courts, and Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office from 17 to 18 July 2023.
4. Fruitful discussions were held on areas including enhancing access to justice, hearings in the Small Claims Tribunal, the use of mediation and counselling in Singapore's Family Justice Courts, insolvency and bankruptcy administration, judicial administration and operations, court technology, judicial education and training, and case management.
5. The MOU signifies the deep-rooted history and warm friendship between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore and reaffirms the commitment to maintaining strong bilateral ties between the two countries. The MOU will serve as a fundamental pillar of judicial cooperation in providing a platform to enhance communication and lays the groundwork for collaboration, enabling the exchange on perspectives and best practices on dispute avoidance and resolution.
6. This is the third MOU signed between the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and other jurisdictions, following the signing of a memorandum with the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China on 21 September 2004 and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR on 4 May 2023.
