Appointments to the Supreme Court Bench

Singapore, 13 May 2015 – The President of the Republic of Singapore, acting in his discretion, and in concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister will appoint Mr George Wei Sze Shun (韦 思 舜) as a Judge and Ms Foo Tuat Yien (符雪燕) as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore under Article 95(4) of the Constitution with effect on 25 May 2015. Both Mr Wei and Ms Foo will be sworn in at a ceremony to be held at the Istana on 26 May 2015.

Mr George Wei

2   Mr George Wei, age 60, presently a Judicial Commissioner, is an expert in intellectual property law in Singapore and prior to his appointment to the Bench, was a Professor at the University of Singapore (now known as the National University of Singapore) and the Singapore Management University (SMU). He obtained his Diploma in Law from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, and later his Masters in Law, from the University College London. Mr Wei, who is married with children, has also authored and published many legal books, law journals and papers in the course of his career.

Ms Foo Tuat Yien

3   Ms Foo Tuat Yien, age 61, presently a Senior District Judge at the State Courts, joined the Legal Service in 1976. She held appointments in the then Registry of Land Titles & Deeds and the State Courts (formerly Subordinate Courts), and was previously Registrar of Titles & Deeds and Controller of Residential Property (1991 to 2000) and a District Judge in the Subordinate Courts (2000 to 2005). She was seconded to the Competition Commission of Singapore from 2005 to 2009 where she was appointed Assistant Chief Executive. Ms Foo graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws in 1976, and thereafter obtained her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Ms Foo is currently a member of the Law Reform Committee under the Singapore Academy of Law and a member of the Military Court of Appeal under the Singapore Armed Forces. Ms Foo was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2000.

4   With these appointments, the Supreme Court will have a total of 14 Judges (including the Chief Justice), 10 Judicial Commissioners, five Senior Judges and 12 International Judges.

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PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
13 MAY 2015