(Bandar Seri Begawan, 10th) Malaysia’s Chief Justice, Tun Wong Ahmad Fairuz, undertook a working visit to Brunei from June 7th to 9th at the invitation of Brunei’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong.
The visiting delegation included Court of Appeal President Dato Seri Abang Iskandar, Malaya Chief Judge Dato Seri Hasnun, and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Dato Hajah Aziah.
This visit marked Wong Ahmad Fairuz’s first official trip to Brunei since taking office, and his first official visit to a Southeast Asian nation as Malaysia’s Chief Justice.
It is also the first time that all four of Malaysia’s highest-ranking judicial officials have traveled abroad together, with Brunei becoming the first country to host this senior judicial delegation. This fully reflects the longstanding friendship, mutual trust, and close cooperation between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia.
On June 8th, Brunei’s Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong presided over the first bilateral meeting between the two countries’ judicial institutions. The meeting followed the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation” between the Brunei Supreme Court and Malaysia’s Federal Court on March 6, 2024.
This memorandum officially established cooperative relations between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia and serves as an important foundation for strengthening judicial exchanges. It aims to promote exchanges in knowledge, professional experience, and best practices, to benefit both countries’ judicial systems.
During the bilateral meeting, the two Chief Justices held productive discussions on the current implementation of the memorandum and future development directions.
Both sides also acknowledged important results achieved since the inception of the cooperation mechanism, including the launch of the “Brunei–Malaysia Judicial Lecture Series” and the successful implementation of a judicial officer exchange program. Under this program, two Bruneian judicial officers have been arranged to visit Malaysian courts for exchange and learning.
So far, the “Brunei–Malaysia Judicial Lecture Series” has held two online lectures. The first focused on the principles of judgment writing, while the second discussed cases involving sexual crimes against children and the management of sensitive cases involving vulnerable witnesses.
The two Chief Justices also discussed a judicial exchange program, to be hosted by Malaysia’s judiciary in 2025 with participation from two Bruneian judicial officers. This program will further consolidate institutional ties, and Brunei looks forward to hosting Malaysian judicial officers for a reciprocal exchange in 2027.
Looking ahead, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to continue strengthening cooperation under the framework of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation,” and to explore additional areas of mutual interest, particularly in judicial administration, court management, speech-to-text technology, and the application of technology and artificial intelligence in judicial management.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both Chief Justices expressed confidence that the memorandum would continue to serve as an important platform to promote strengthened cooperation, dialogue, and professional exchange between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia.
The visiting delegation included Court of Appeal President Dato Seri Abang Iskandar, Malaya Chief Judge Dato Seri Hasnun, and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Dato Hajah Aziah.
This visit marked Wong Ahmad Fairuz’s first official trip to Brunei since taking office, and his first official visit to a Southeast Asian nation as Malaysia’s Chief Justice.
It is also the first time that all four of Malaysia’s highest-ranking judicial officials have traveled abroad together, with Brunei becoming the first country to host this senior judicial delegation. This fully reflects the longstanding friendship, mutual trust, and close cooperation between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia.
This memorandum officially established cooperative relations between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia and serves as an important foundation for strengthening judicial exchanges. It aims to promote exchanges in knowledge, professional experience, and best practices, to benefit both countries’ judicial systems.
During the bilateral meeting, the two Chief Justices held productive discussions on the current implementation of the memorandum and future development directions.
Both sides also acknowledged important results achieved since the inception of the cooperation mechanism, including the launch of the “Brunei–Malaysia Judicial Lecture Series” and the successful implementation of a judicial officer exchange program. Under this program, two Bruneian judicial officers have been arranged to visit Malaysian courts for exchange and learning.
So far, the “Brunei–Malaysia Judicial Lecture Series” has held two online lectures. The first focused on the principles of judgment writing, while the second discussed cases involving sexual crimes against children and the management of sensitive cases involving vulnerable witnesses.
The two Chief Justices also discussed a judicial exchange program, to be hosted by Malaysia’s judiciary in 2025 with participation from two Bruneian judicial officers. This program will further consolidate institutional ties, and Brunei looks forward to hosting Malaysian judicial officers for a reciprocal exchange in 2027.
Looking ahead, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to continue strengthening cooperation under the framework of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation,” and to explore additional areas of mutual interest, particularly in judicial administration, court management, speech-to-text technology, and the application of technology and artificial intelligence in judicial management.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both Chief Justices expressed confidence that the memorandum would continue to serve as an important platform to promote strengthened cooperation, dialogue, and professional exchange between the judicial institutions of Brunei and Malaysia.