Singapore Law Blog

Two members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group’s Al-Ghuraba cell who had been detained on Orders of Detention (ODs) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since Nov 2003 have been released and placed on Restriction Orders (ROs) under the ISA.

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) has released a public Consultation Paper on “Donation of Human Eggs for Research” and invites the public to give their comments. The Paper raises issues related to the provision of human eggs for purposes of research, especially research into embryonic stem cells.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a consultation paper on the proposed minimum paid-up capital requirement for locally incorporated wholesale banks.

LawNet2 was officially launched at the 14th Malaysian Law Conference held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 29 to 31 October 2007.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings in the case concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore). The hearing commences on 6 November 2007, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat of the Court.

Singapore and Qatar today signed an Agreement on Economic, Commercial and Technical (ECT) Cooperation. Under the Agreement, both parties resolve to promote cooperation in areas such as energy, communications, transportation, construction, labour and tourism. Both sides also seek to encourage and facilitate greater cooperation and exchange between the private sector players of both countries.

The Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is seeking comments on the consultation document “Review of the Registration and Regulatory Regime for Foreign Companies under the Companies Act (Cap. 50)”.

The Government announced today the immediate withdrawal of the Deferred Payment Scheme (DPS) for property purchases in view of the strong economic and property market conditions.

From 1 November 2007 onwards, persons who move into or out of Singapore physical currency [1] or bearer negotiable instruments [2] (CBNI) the total value of which exceeds SGD 30,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) will be required to give a report by filling up a form and submitting it to the authorities.

The text of the Second Reading Speech for the Terrorism (Suppression of Bombings) Bill 2007 by DPM and Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng, 23 October 2007 is below.

Police would like to alert the public of a phone scam where callers impersonate themselves as police officers or staff from the Supreme Court. The impersonators would direct them to attend court or request for transfer of monies and attempt to induce their victims into parting with money, presumably to exonerate them from involvement in criminal cases or for failure to attend court hearings. In reality, the victims were not involved in any such criminal or court proceedings.

A new law to regulate secondhand goods dealers, which is known as the Secondhand Goods Dealers Act (SHGDA) will come into effect on 1 Dec 2007 . With the introduction of this new law, the existing Secondhand Dealers Act, Cap 288, will be repealed on the same date.

Lawyers and judges from 120 countries were in Singapore Monday, 14 Oct 2007, for the International Bar Association (IBA) annual conference. With 4,000 participants, the conference is the largest in the IBA's 60-year history.

Justice Choo Han Teck on 11 October 2007 ruled that the Strata Title Board (STB) cannot dismiss the sale application by the sellers of Horizon Towers because of technical errors in the application.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a policy consultation paper on proposed amendments to the Securities and Futures Act (SFA) and the Financial Advisers Act (FAA). This is the third in a series of policy consultations MAS is conducting following a review of the SFA and FAA that commenced in 2006.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be implementing the regulation of medical devices in phases from 1 Nov 2007. Medical devices are the first category of health products to be regulated under the Health Products Act.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has accepted most of the suggestions on the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2007 that were received during the public consultation exercise held from 15 June to 14 July 2007. A total of 29 comments were received, most of the feedback being from professional bodies and companies. All the suggestions received were constructive and were each considered carefully by MOF. Of these, 21 suggestions were accepted and have been incorporated into the final draft Bill.

The Singapore Legal Service Commission (LSC) has been losing its legal officers to the private sector because of pay differences of up to 30 per cent more. To stem this flow, the Legal Service Commission conducted a remuneration review in April 2007 and which was completed recently.

In what the Court of Appeal labelled 'a costly frolic', relief must clearly be in the mind of Mr Jonathan Lock. The Court of Appeal ruled that the settlement of his case at the Subordinate Court's Primary Dispute Resolution Centre (PDRC) is an order of a court.

Singapore will host Asia's largest ever international legal conference from October 14 to 19 - the International Bar Association 2007 Annual Conference. More than 3,300 delegates from over 120 countries are expected to attend with at least 600 delegates from Southeast Asia.

An Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income between the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the State of Qatar comes into force on 5 October 2007. The provisions of this Agreement will apply to income derived on or after 1st January 2008.

The Ministry of Law has announced that the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act, enacted by Parliament on 20 September 2007, will take effect from 4 October 2007.

Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) have concluded a landmark Open Skies Agreement (OSA) on 2 October 2007, removing all restrictions on air services operated by carriers of both countries.

In May 2007 Slater & Gordon Limited became the first Australian law firm to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange to finance mergers and acquisitions.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued a consultation paper proposing to exempt card issuers from complying with the maximum credit limit when issuing credit or charge cards to individuals with an annual income of at least $120,000 or net personal assets exceeding $2 million[1]. With the proposed exemption, card issuers may determine the appropriate credit limits for this higher income group in line with their assessment of the credit worthiness of these individuals. This proposal is part of MAS’ ongoing process of updating the credit card rules to ensure that they remain appropriate and relevant.