Media Release – Visit and Courtesy Call to the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam

As part of the ASEAN Multilateral Judicial Knowledge Exchange (JKE) on Victim-Sensitive Adjudication of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Cases, participants visited the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam on Thursday 5 February 2026.

During the visit, the JKE participants paid a courtesy call on The Honourable Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam. The courtesy call provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on regional judicial cooperation, judicial education and the role of courts in addressing trafficking in persons through a victim-sensitive and rights-based approach.

The visit underscored the importance of strengthening institutional linkages and collegial ties among ASEAN judiciaries and reflected the shared commitment of ASEAN courts to sustained dialogue, mutual learning and collaboration in responding to complex transnational crimes such as trafficking in persons.

Following the courtesy call, a case study session was conducted by the Supreme Court as part of the JKE programme. The Supreme Court developed the case study with reference to a previous case in Brunei Darussalam, with the facts and circumstances adapted and fictionalised to support learning, engagement, and open discussion. The case study was structured into distinct scenarios situated at different procedural stages of the criminal justice process, ranging from pre-trial matters and trial management to evidential issues and sentencing. This approach enabled participants to examine the judicial handling of trafficking in persons cases across the full continuum of criminal proceedings while sharing practices from other countries.

The visit and case study session complemented the broader objectives of the Judicial Knowledge Exchange by promoting practical, experience-based learning and reinforcing the importance of victim-sensitive adjudication in trafficking in persons cases.

The ASEAN Multilateral Judicial Knowledge Exchange is a project of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices Working Group on Judicial Education and Training and is supported by the Australian Government-funded ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking Programme and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM / 5 FEBRUARY 2026