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Singapore's ninth Attorney-General Lucien Wong sworn in

Lucien Wong has been sworn in as Singapore's ninth Attorney-General. (Photo: MPA Twitter)
Lucien Wong has been sworn in as Singapore’s ninth Attorney-General. (Photo: MPA Twitter)

Veteran lawyer Lucien Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s ninth Attorney-General (A-G) before President Tony Tan Keng Yam in a ceremony held at the Istana on Monday (16 January).

The 63-year-old Wong will be serving a three-year term. In addition to his role as the A-G, he was also appointed a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights for the same period of time.

Wong takes over from V. K. Raja, who retired as the government’s legal adviser and public prosecutor on 14 January.

He was most recently the chairman and senior partner of Allen & Gledhill, the largest law firm in Singapore, and has over 30 years of legal experience.

He has also sat on several committees that reviewed amendments to the Singapore Company and Securities Law. He was also previously chairman of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

According to a press statement from the Istana, Wong is a leading lawyer in the areas of banking, finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance and has won awards for his contributions to the legal profession.

Wong’s appointment was debated between Law Minster K. Shanmugam and Worker’s Party chairman Sylvia Lim in Parliament last Tuesday (10 January) because of an article in Singapore’ Constitution.

The article states that barring certain circumstances, an A-G can only hold the office until the age of 60, although the law also states that an A-G who is 60 or older can remain in office for a period as may have been agreed between the A-G and the government.

Citing the article, Lim raised a question in relation to Wong’s age, to which Shanmugam told the House that his appointment was in accordance with the Constitution.