Oral Answer by Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai to PQ on public awareness of Magistrate's Complaints

28 FEB 2025

28 January 2025 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses

Question for Oral Answer

Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC)

Question:
To ask the Minister for Law (a) over the past three years, what is the yearly number of Magistrate’s Complaints filed; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing a public awareness education programme or campaign on the use of Magistrate’s Complaints which may be used to aid criminal investigations by the Singapore Police Force.

Oral Answer:

  1. Around 1,300 Magistrate’s Complaints were filed yearly from 2022 to 2024.
  1. The Courts have informed us that there are educational resources available on the Judiciary’s website, which members of the public may refer to for information on, among other things, when and how they may file a Magistrate’s Complaint.
  1. The Honourable Member also referred to the relationship between Magistrate’s Complaints and Police investigations. I should clarify that the Magistrate’s Complaint process provides a framework for private prosecutions by any person, subject to the assessment of the Magistrate of whether there is sufficient reason for the complaint to proceed. The process is distinct from criminal investigations conducted by the Police following the filing of a police report, which do not require the filing of a Magistrate’s Complaint.

Last updated on 28 January 2025