Vijaya Kumar Rajah SC (born 14 January 1957)[1] is a Singaporean lawyer who served as the eighth attorney-general of Singapore between 2014 and 2017. Prior to his appointment as attorney-general, he served as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Singapore between 2007 and 2014, and a judge of the High Court of Singapore between 2004 and 2007.
V. K. Rajah | |
|---|---|
 Rajah in 2017 at SMU School of Law | |
| 8th Attorney-General of Singapore | |
| In office 25 June 2014 – 14 January 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Tony Tan |
| Deputy | Tan Siong Thye Lucien Wong |
| Preceded by | Steven Chong |
| Succeeded by | Lucien Wong |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Singapore | |
| In office 11 April 2007 – 24 June 2014 | |
| Appointed by | S. R. Nathan |
| Judge of the High Court of Singapore | |
| In office 1 November 2004 – 10 April 2007 | |
| Appointed by | S. R. Nathan |
| Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore | |
| In office 2 January 2004 – 31 October 2021 | |
| Appointed by | S. R. Nathan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 January 1957 Colony of Singapore |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore (LLB) Trinity Hall, Cambridge (LLM) |
Early life
editRajah was born in Singapore on 14 January 1957.
His father was Thampore Thamby Rajah, better known as T. T. Rajah, a leader of Barisan Sosialis,[2] and founder of one of the "Big Four" law firms in Singapore, Rajah & Tann.[3]
Rajah graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1982.
He went on to complete a Master of Laws with first class degree at Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1986.[4]
Career
editRajah was among the first batch of lawyers in Singapore to be appointed Senior Counsel in 1997,[4] and was once the managing partner of law firm Rajah & Tann. He was also part of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law moot team which won the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 1982, a first for the university. The other members of the team were Davinder Singh, Jimmy Yim and Steven Chong. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner on 2 January 2004, Judge of the High Court on 1 November 2004, and subsequently Judge of Appeal in April 2007.
One of the cases presided by Rajah as a High Court judge was the 2006 case of Constance Chee Cheong Hin, a schizophrenic who was charged with throwing a girl off her HDB block and causing the death of four-year-old Sindee Neo. Chee was found guilty of manslaughter and kidnapping and although the prosecution sought a life sentence for Chee, Rajah sentenced Chee to thirteen years in jail after he duly considered that Chee had strong familial support and her condition would improve as along as she consistently adhere to medical treatment while in prison.[5]
Rajah's publications include Judicial Management in Singapore (with T. C. Choong, Singapore: Butterworths, 1990). He was also the chair of a committee that produced an influential report in 2007 reviewing Singapore's legal sector.[6]
Rajah has been a Director at Monetary Authority of Singapore since 1 November 2014.[7]
Rajah served as Attorney-General of Singapore[8] until he was succeeded by Lucien Wong on 14 January 2017.[9] During his term, he "emphasised fair prosecution and outcomes", even appealing as a prosecutor for a reduced sentence in 2015, which was unprecedented in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong thanked him for carrying out his duties "with dynamism and commitment".[10]
In 2021, Rajah was appointed Vice-President of the International Chamber of Commerce's Court of Arbitration.[11]
References
edit- ^ Leadership Profiles, Attorney-General's Chambers, 25 June 2014, archived from the original on 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Ex-Barisan Sosialis leader T. T. Rajah's funeral today", The Straits Times, 15 March 1996.
- ^ "Global Restructuring Review - GRR 100 2019". globalrestructuringreview.com. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ a b Statement From the Prime Minister's Office: Appointment of Judge of the High Court [Document No. 2004110101], Prime Minister's Office (archived on the National Archives of Singapore website), 1 November 2004, archived from the original on 18 September 2014.
- ^ "13 years' jail for ex-air hostess who caused girl's death". The Straits Times. 8 April 2006.
- ^ Report of the Committee to Develop the Singapore Legal Sector: Final Report, Ministry of Law, September 2007, archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2012.
- ^ "Company Overview of Rajah & Tann". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "V K Rajah". asiatatler.com. Edipresse Media Asia Limited. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "Attorney-General V K Rajah to step down next January". ChannelNewsAsia. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "PM Lee thanks outgoing Attorney-General V K Rajah for outstanding contributions". Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "ICC Court appoints three Asian VPS". 14 September 2021.
External links
edit
- Judges, Judicial Commissioners and Registrars, Supreme Court of Singapore, 26 February 2014, archived from the original on 8 April 2014.