Andrew Ang

Andrew Ang
PBM
翁安得烈
Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore
In office
15 May 2005 – 25 February 2014
Appointed byS. R. Nathan
Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore
In office
15 May 2004 – 14 May 2005
Appointed byS. R. Nathan
Personal details
Born (1946-02-25) 25 February 1946 (age 78)
Singapore
Alma materUniversity of Singapore
Harvard University

Andrew Ang PBM[1] (born 25 February 1946) is a Singaporean former judge of the Supreme Court. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore in 1971 and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1973. He lectured for a few years at the University of Singapore, and then worked as a lawyer at Messrs Lee & Lee for 30 years. He was appointed Judicial Commissioner in May 2004 and Judge in May 2005. After a decade on the Bench, he retired on 25 February 2014. In 2000, he was conferred the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (PBM; Public Service Medal).

Education and career as a lawyer

Ang was born in Singapore on 25 February 1946.[2] Having graduated from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws in 1971, he joined the University's Faculty of Law as a lecturer the following year. He obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1973. In 1974, he joined the law firm Lee & Lee, remaining there for 30 years until his retirement on 30 April 2004 as Senior Partner and Head of the Banking and Corporate Department.[1] During this time, he was also a member of the advisory panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore,[3] and joined the board of Keppel Corporation in 2002.[4]

Judicial career

The Supreme Court of Singapore

Ang was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore on 15 May 2004,[3] and a year later was elevated to the office of a Judge of the Supreme Court on 15 May 2005.[1][5] He delivered about 170 written judgments, including Ngui Gek Lian Philomene v Chan Kiat (HSR International Realtors Pte. Ltd., intervener) (2013)[6] in which he held that the S$590-million collective sale of Thomson View Condominium could not proceed because the marketing agent HSR International Realtors had paid some owners of units in the condominium to agree to the sale, thus breaching its duty to avoid a conflict of interest.[2]

Ang also served as Chairman of the Singapore Mediation Centre (2006–2011) and the Legal Heritage Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law (2011–2014), and as Vice-Chairman of the Academy's Law Reform Committee (2006–2011). In addition, he was a member of the Advisory Board of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law,[1] and is currently on the Advisory Council of YMCA Singapore.[7]

Upon reaching the retirement age of 65 years mandated by the Constitution[8] on 25 February 2011, Ang was reappointed as a judge for another three years[9] until he finally retired on 25 February 2014, having served a decade on the Bench.[2] Upon his retirement, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said:[1]

I congratulate Andrew on a remarkable career in the law. Over the course of forty-three years, he has been an academic, a private practitioner and a Judge of the Supreme Court. When he was appointed to the Bench, he brought with him the experience of three decades of practice. By then he was one of the country's leading corporate and tax lawyers. It has been a pleasure for me to work with Andrew as a colleague on the Bench. I thank him for the generous and warm spirit with which he has approached his work and interacted with his fellow Judges and staff of the court and I wish him a long, happy and fulfilling retirement.

Later years

The Straits Times reported in February 2014 that Ang had been invited to rejoin his former law firm, Lee & Lee, as a consultant and would be undertaking arbitration and mediation work.[2] In line with this, he is presently a senior mediator at the Singapore Mediation Centre.[10]

Awards and honours

In 2000, Ang was conferred the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (PBM; Public Service Medal).[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Retirement of High Court Judge, Justice Andrew Ang, Supreme Court of Singapore, 25 February 2014, archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Ian Poh (26 February 2014), "High Court judge retires from bench: Justice Andrew Ang leaves after decade of distinguished service", The Straits Times, p. B6, The judge, who turned 68 yesterday, added he was honoured to have been able to serve on the bench.
  3. ^ a b "New Judicial Commissioner", The Straits Times, p. 3, 18 May 2004.
  4. ^ "Lee & Lee partner joins Keppel board", The Straits Times, p. 21, 2 October 2002.
  5. ^ "New High Court judge", The Straits Times, p. 7, 17 May 2005.
  6. ^ Ngui Gek Lian Philomene v. Chan Kiat (HSR International Realtors Pte. Ltd., intervener) [2013] SGHC 166, [2013] 4 S.L.R. [Singapore Law Reports] 694, High Court (Singapore).
  7. ^ Justice Andrew Ang retires from Bench, Y Buzz: News Blog of the YMCA of Singapore, 27 February 2014, archived from the original on 12 March 2014; YMCA Advisory Council, YMCA of Singapore, archived from the original on 12 March 2014, retrieved 12 March 2014.
  8. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (1985 Rev. Ed., 1999 Reprint), Art. 98(1).
  9. ^ a b Re-appointment of Andrew Ang as High Court Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore, 28 February 2011, archived from the original on 29 March 2012. The reappointment was effected pursuant to the Constitution, Art. 94(3).
  10. ^ "Senior Mediator". Singapore Mediation Centre. Retrieved 23 August 2024.