Chong Wan Oon
张惠安
Dato Steven in 2022
5th Chief Justice of Brunei
Assumed office
30 June 2018
Nominated byHassanal Bolkiah
Preceded byKifrawi Kifli
Personal details
Born
Steven Chong Wan Oon
ParentCelestina Kong Nyet Khyun (mother)
Alma materBournemouth University (BA)
OccupationJudge
Steven Chong Wan Oon
Simplified Chinese张惠安

Steven Chong Wan Oon[1] (Chinese: 张惠安; pinyin: Zhāng huì'ān)[2] is a Brunei magistrate who was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam in 2018.

Biography

Early years

Steven Chong Wan Oon was educated at St George’s School Brunei. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Dorset Institute of Higher Education. A year later he passed the Inns of Court School of Law examination to become a barrister of Lincoln's Inn in London. He became a magistrate in the Subordinate Court of Brunei in 1984. He was promoted to High Court judge in 2001.[3]

Chief Justice

The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, appointed Steven Chong as chief justice of the Supreme Court as of 30 June 2018. He replaced Dato Seri Paduka Haji Kifrawi bin Kifli, who had been chief justice for nine years.[4] On 15 July 2019 the Sultan invested him into the Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei First Class, which carries the title "Dato Seri Paduka".[5]

In July 2019, Steven Chong was awarded the International Jurists Award 2019, presented by Adish C. Aggarwala, President of the International Council of Jurists. At the ceremony Richard Lindsay, British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, expressed his appreciation to the International Council of Jurists for their work across the world in the development of justice and equality.[6] In January 2020 Chong announced media guidelines to “Promote transparency and the principle of open justice; facilitate fair and accurate reporting of matters before the court; and enhance public understanding of the court’s function and its work.” He also introduced a judicial conduct and ethics handbook giving guidelines for the conduct of judges and judicial officers.[7]

Steven Chong and Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, Paul Lam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance their mutual collaboration in topics pertaining to the avoidance and settlement of disputes on 5 May 2023. The Memorandum of collaboration offers a framework for enhancing communication and collaboration between Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Brunei on issues pertaining to conflict avoidance and resolution, as well as to support the growth of relevant services between the two locations.[8]

On 5 August 2023, a cooperation agreement between the Supreme Courts of Singapore and Brunei aims to improve two-way communication, cooperation, and collaboration on a range of topics relating to preventing and resolving conflicts. The Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of Singapore and Brunei, Steven Chong and Sundaresh Menon, respectively, signed the aforementioned cooperation agreement.[9]

Personal life

Steven Chong is the son of Celestine Kong Nyet Khyun (died September 2014).[10]

Awards and honours

Awards

  • International Jurists Award 2019[6]

Honours

Steven Chong has earned the following honours;

    References

    1. Judicial Officers, Prime Minister's Office, Brunei Darussalam, retrieved 2020-07-18
    2. "于红大使到任拜会文莱最高法院首席大法官张惠安". bn.china-embassy.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
    3. Ain Bandial (30 June 2018), "Dato Steven Chong named chief justice of Supreme Court", The Scoop, retrieved 2020-07-18
    4. "Brunei Sultan appoints Steven Chong as chief justice", FMT News, FMT Media, 13 July 2018, retrieved 2020-07-18
    5. 1 2 Danial Norjidi (16 July 2019), "His Majesty confers state decorations on 15 individuals (2019)", Borneo Bulletin, retrieved 2020-07-18
    6. 1 2 Bandar Seri Begawan (12 July 2019), "Chief Justice Of Supreme Court Receive International Jurists Award", Brunei's No. 1 News Website
    7. Rizal Faisal (17 January 2020), "Legal Year 2020 opens with new initiatives", Borneo Bulletin, retrieved 2020-07-18
    8. "香港与文莱签合作备忘录 加强两地合作 _大公网". www.takungpao.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
    9. "强解决争端问题.汶 新 最高法院签署合作 - 地方 - 汶莱". 星洲网 Sin Chew Daily Malaysia Latest News and Headlines (in Chinese (China)). 2023-08-05. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
    10. "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituary 2014. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
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