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SINGAPORE: Key highlights in Singapore's legal arena in 2008 include the Pedra Branca case, former National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chief TT Durai's jail term and alleged exorcism in a church.
In May, the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to award Pedra Branca's sovereignty to Singapore ended a 30-year dispute between the city state and Malaysia.
Singapore is now the rightful owner of Pedra Branca, an island that is about 24 nautical miles to the east of Singapore.
For working tirelessly on the case, the Singapore team was even recognised at this year's National Day Awards.
As the case closed overseas, another ended in a Singapore court as well. In June, former NKF chief Durai started his three-month jail sentence for using a fake invoice to trick the charity into paying S$20,000 to an interior designer friend.
Durai also had to pay back over S$4 million to NKF after he and others were found guilty of breaching their duties.
Another high-profile case has yet to be finalised in the High Court.
52-year-old Amutha Valli Krishnan sued the Novena Church, two priests and six church-goers for allegedly performing an exorcism on her about four years ago. She claimed she was traumatised by the incident.
The case was first heard in the High Court for 11 days. When hearing resumed in June, it went on for about 20 days. Now, the parties are waiting to be recalled to hear the judgment.
Come 2009, there will be improvements to the Criminal Procedure Code which regulates how criminal investigations and trials are carried out.
- CNA/so
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