16 August 2023 - Chief Justice, Dr. Faustin Ntezilyayo, began a three-day working visit to Singapore aimed at strengthening judicial cooperation between both countries.

During the first day of the visit, Dr. Ntezilyayo met with Singapore’s Attorney-General, Lucien Wong for a courtesy call that was also attended by Deputy Attorney-Generals, Lionel Yee, and Ang Cheng Hock as well as Solicitor-General, Daphne Hong.

The following day, he held bilateral talks with his Singaporean counterpart Sundaresh Menon and visited the Singapore Management University's Yong Pung How School of Law.

In his address, he said the main objective of his visit was to learn from the “esteemed” Singapore Judiciary, build upon the two countries’ partnership achievements, and further strengthen the bonds of cooperation between the two judiciaries.

“We recognize that knowledge knows no boundaries and in the pursuit of justice, no single system has all the answers, but by integrating the best practices from each other, we are better positioned to overcome any challenges,” he said.

Rwanda and Singapore have a couple of partnerships in the judicial sector. In 2021, the supreme courts of the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial cooperation aimed at, among other things, enhancing cooperation and promoting the efficient administration of justice in their respective jurisdictions.

The MoU provides for exchange of experiences and discussions on matters of common interest. It also lays the foundation for cooperation between the two parties in areas such as electronic case management system and administration, court-annexed mediation and out-of-court mediation, small claims procedures, and capacity building through online and face-to-face training.

In the same year, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Guidance which sets out the requirements and procedures for the enforcement of monetary judgments by both parties regarding person-to-person monetary disputes.

Dr. Ntezilyayo noted that the cooperation between the two countries’ judiciaries is benefiting Rwanda, including different training sessions, aimed at improving the administration of justice, in which Rwandan judicial officials participated in Singapore.

“The knowledge and expertise shared during these sessions have played a vital role in enhancing the competence and professionalism of our legal practitioners and judicial officers,” he said.