Singapore International Commercial Court (International Committee) Bill introduced to enhance Singapore’s offerings as international dispute resolution hub

29 October 2024

To further enhance Singapore’s offerings as an international dispute resolution hub, the Singapore International Commercial Court (International Committee) Bill (“Bill”) was introduced in Parliament on 14 October 2024 to provide parties with a transnational commercial dispute resolution option to hear their cases and appeals.

The Bill, if passed, will establish the International Committee of the Singapore International Commercial Court (“International Committee”) to hear prescribed civil appeals and related proceedings from prescribed foreign jurisdictions.

The Bill follows the signing of a bilateral Treaty between the Government of Singapore and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain on 20 March 2024 to collaborate on the establishment of the Bahrain International Commercial Court (“BICC”).

The key features of the International Committee are as follows:

Structure: The International Committee will be established as a standalone body to hear prescribed appeals and related proceedings from prescribed foreign jurisdictions.
Constitution: Members of the International Committee will comprise Judges of the Supreme Court and International Judges in the Singapore International Commercial Court (“SICC”), and ad hoc members drawn from the court of the foreign jurisdiction that is referring an appeal to the International Committee.
Jurisdiction: The Minister for Law will be empowered to make regulations in relation to appeals from a foreign court to the International Committee, including prescribing the types of cases that can be appealed to the International Committee from the foreign jurisdiction.
Representation: Singapore advocates and solicitors, and foreign lawyers and law experts who have been registered to appear before the SICC, can appear before the International Committee.
Enforcement: A judgment or order of the International Committee will be treated as a judgment or order of the court of that foreign jurisdiction from which the appeal arose.
Finality: A decision of the International Committee will be final.