His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifl, Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam, inspecting the Guard of Honour

It was my first experience to witness the Legal Year which was held at the Attorney General’s Chamber. I came with Ambrose Nathan of BizAdvise Services who was also invited for the event. The event began with the Honourable Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam, His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli, inspecting the Guard of Honour. Then the event continued at the Supreme Court where the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam shared their reports and proposals.

Chief Justice Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli said that there have been increase in juvenile cases and he related the cause from broken and dysfunctional families. He also shared the number of bankruptcies that has been on the raise (an increase by at least 700 more Creditors meetings and hearings). Chief Justice hightlighted the success of the newly introduced Small Claims Tribunal which is fast, informal and expensive medium to resolve legal disputes.

The Attorney General, YB Datin Seri Paduka Hjh Hayati, briefed about the draft of the legal handbook and proposed the usage of ICT for the purpose of updating the legislation database. She also highlighted the Criminal Case Negotiation (CCN) which aimed to minimise wastage of judicial time and also making practices more transparent and consistent.

The President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam Hj Muhd Zainidi gave some updates of the association. He hoped that the judiciary, government and relevant agencies can collaborate on legal aid and pro bono (which means professional work underaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fees as a public service). This is ideal for those who can’t afford legal representation.

All in all, it was an interesting morning for me and I didn’t realise how many familiar faces I bumped into yesterday. Well done once again on Legal Year. Some of the images are courtesy of Eally Aleeza (thanks)

His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli before the inspection

The Attorney General, YB Datin Seri Paduka Hjh Hayati and Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli

At the Supreme Court

The Attorney General delivering her keynote address

Hj Muhd Zainidi, the President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam