Media Release: Retirement of Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean as Justice of the Court of Appeal

1. Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean (洪素燕) will be stepping down as Justice of the Court of Appeal upon the completion of her current term. Her last day of service will be on 23 April 2026.

2. Justice Ang’s judicial career started in 2002. She was first appointed as Judicial Commissioner in February 2002 and became a Judge of the High Court in 2003. She was subsequently appointed a Judge of the Appellate Division and concurrently, its President in 2021, and was later elevated again as a Justice of the Court of Appeal in 2022. Justice Ang’s areas of focus were on shipping and arbitration matters, finance, securities, banking and complex commercial cases.

3. Justice Ang obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1976, and was called to the Bar as a Barrister-at-Law of the Middle Temple in 1977. She was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 1978 and later obtained her Master of Laws with Distinction from the University College of London in 1979. 

4. She began her legal career at M/s Godwin & Co in 1980 and was made Junior Partner in 1983. Later, she established Ang & Partners in 1985. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998. In 2016, she was made a Bencher of the Middle Temple. Justice Ang served as a member and then as chairperson of the board of directors of the Singapore Mediation Centre from 2011 to 2025. She also serves on the Senate of the Singapore Academy of Law as vice president. 

5. The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said, “Justice Ang's retirement marks the closing chapter of an exemplary judicial career that has significantly enriched Singapore's legal landscape. Her outstanding work in commercial law, particularly in shipping and arbitration matters, has contributed to Singapore’s jurisprudence on these matters and established precedents that continue to guide our courts today. Beyond her judicial contributions, her long tenure as chairperson of the Singapore Mediation Centre has been transformative in contributing to the collective effort to position Singapore as a premier hub for dispute resolution. Throughout her tenure as a Judge, she has been a popular and respected colleague on the Bench, and has consistently manifested a strong commitment to advancing the legal profession and upholding excellence within our judiciary. The judiciary has been immeasurably strengthened by her wisdom, expertise, and unwavering dedication to justice. We extend our deepest gratitude for her distinguished service and wish her well in her retirement.”

6. Justice Ang said: “It has been my highest honour and deepest privilege to serve the administration of justice in Singapore. Having been on the Bench for more than two decades, I have been witness to the remarkable evolution of our legal ecosystem during that period. In the last 10 years in particular, areas such as family justice and the resolution of transnational commercial disputes have been completely transformed. I am grateful beyond measure for the trust placed in me by the judicial institution and the legal community, and to have had the opportunity of contributing to the development of Singapore's jurisprudence as well as to mediation which is now an integral part of our justice system. I have no doubt that the Judiciary will continue to uphold the rule of law with the same judicial rigour and integrity that has defined our justice system. Finally, I wish to thank my colleagues for their warm friendship and esteem. I will always cherish the collegiality and our shared experiences as justices.”

Issued by: Singapore Courts

Date: 8 April 2026