国际法律视野｜新加坡法律制度介绍（一）——源于普通法的法治基石

Introduction to the Legal System of Singapore (Ⅰ) - The Foundation of Rule of Law Derived from Common Law

新加坡法律渊源遵循清晰的效力层级，以宪法为顶端，形成“根本法—立法—附属立法—判例法”的四级体系，同时吸纳国际条约与习惯法作为补充。

The legal sources in Singapore follow a clear hierarchy of effectiveness, with the Constitution at the top, forming a four tiered system of "fundamental law legislation subsidiary legislation precedent law", while incorporating international treaties and customary law as supplements.

1965年新加坡独立后颁布的《宪法》，确立了“议会制共和国”的国家性质，明确三权分立原则与公民基本权利，是“最高法律”。其核心特点包括修法门槛严苛，宪法修正案需经议会三分之二多数议员通过，并由总统签署生效，且部分条款（如总统选举制度）需全民公投。2023 年修法新增“数字公民权利”条款时，曾开展为期3个月的公众咨询，收集逾2万条意见；权利保障与限制平衡，《宪法》明确规定言论、集会、宗教信仰等自由，但允许政府在“国家安全、公共秩序”等情形下依法限制。2021年《外来干涉（反措施）法》出台时，即援引宪法第14条“言论自由限制条款”作为立法依据。

The Constitution promulgated after Singapore's independence in 1965 established the national nature of a "parliamentary republic", clarified the principle of separation of powers and the basic rights of citizens, and was the "supreme law". Its core features include strict threshold for amending laws, constitutional amendments requiring a two-thirds majority of members of parliament to pass and signed into effect by the president, and some provisions (such as the presidential election system) requiring a national referendum. When the "Digital Citizen Rights" clause was added to the revised law in 2023, a three-month public consultation was conducted, collecting over 20000 opinions; The balance between rights protection and restriction is clearly stipulated in the Constitution, which provides for freedom of speech, assembly, religious belief, etc., but allows the government to restrict it in accordance with the law in situations such as national security and public order. When the Foreign Intervention (Countermeasures) Law was introduced in 2021, Article 14 of the Constitution, the "Restriction of Freedom of Speech Clause," was cited as the legislative basis.

立法权由“总统+议会”共同行使，形成“提案—审议—签署”的完整流程。

The legislative power is jointly exercised by the President and Parliament, forming a complete process of "proposal review signature".

新加坡议会主导立法，议会由93名议员组成（含elected MP、NCMP、NMP），负责法案起草与审议。政府部门提出的“政府法案”占比超90%，2024年通过的《跨境破产法》《数据保护修正法》均属此类。

The Singapore Parliament leads legislation and is composed of 93 members (including elected MPs, NCMPs, NMP) responsible for drafting and reviewing bills. The proportion of "government bills" proposed by government departments exceeds 90%, and the Cross Border Bankruptcy Law and Data Protection Amendment Law passed in 2024 belong to this category.

总统享有制衡权，议会通过的法案需总统签署生效，总统对“涉及国防、财政储备”等法案享有否决权。2022年总统哈莉玛曾暂缓签署《公积金投资修正法案》，要求政府补充养老金保障评估报告。

The president has the power of checks and balances, and bills passed by parliament must be signed by the president to take effect. The president has veto power over bills related to national defense and fiscal reserves. In 2022, President Halimah suspended the signing of the Provident Fund Investment Amendment Act and requested the government to supplement the pension security assessment report.

内阁、各部委及法定机构（如新加坡金融管理局MAS）可依据议会授权制定规章、细则等附属立法，占法律文件总量的70%以上。其核心特点是“针对性强、修订灵活”，如MAS2023年修订的《支付服务规章》，仅用2个月即完成对加密货币交易的监管更新，远快于议会立法周期。

The Cabinet, various ministries, and statutory bodies (such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)) may formulate subsidiary legislation such as rules and regulations based on parliamentary authorization, accounting for over 70% of the total legal documents. Its core characteristics are "strong targeting and flexible revision", such as the "Payment Services Regulations" revised by MAS in 2023, which completed regulatory updates on cryptocurrency transactions in just two months, far faster than the legislative cycle of parliament.

作为普通法系国家，新加坡法院判决构成判例法，对下级法院具有约束力。

As a common law country, Singapore's court judgments constitute case law and are binding on lower courts.

最高法院判例对所有法院有约束力，国家法院判例仅具参考价值。2023年高等法院在“某跨国公司股东代表诉讼案”中，推翻2018年地区法院判例，明确“派生诉讼的举证标准”。

The precedents of the Supreme Court are binding on all courts, while the precedents of national courts are only of reference value. In 2023, the High Court overturned the 2018 regional court precedent and clarified the "standard of proof for derivative litigation" in the "shareholder representative lawsuit case of a multinational corporation".

新加坡对英国判例法亦进行了一定的本土化改造。1993年通过《适用英国法法》，明确“仅在不与本地立法冲突且符合新加坡国情时，方可适用英国判例”。如在婚姻财产分割领域，新加坡法院拒绝采纳英国“无条件均等分割”原则，转而采用“考虑贡献与需求”的裁量标准。

Singapore has also undergone some localization of British case law. In 1993, the Application of English Law Act was passed, which clarified that "English precedents may only be applied when they do not conflict with local legislation and are in line with Singapore's national conditions". In the field of marital property division, Singapore courts refuse to adopt the UK's principle of "unconditional equal division" and instead adopt a discretionary standard of "considering contributions and needs".

新加坡虽遵循三权分立原则，但形成“行政主导、司法独立、立法协同”的特色架构，三者通过制度设计实现制衡与高效运转。

Although Singapore adheres to the principle of separation of powers, it has formed a distinctive structure of "executive leadership, judicial independence, and legislative synergy", which is balanced and efficiently operated through institutional design.

行政权核心为内阁，由总理及19名部长组成，其运作特点体现在：

The core of administrative power is the Cabinet, consisting of the Prime Minister and 19 ministers, and its operational characteristics are reflected in:

集体负责制：内阁成员均为议员，需对议会集体负责。2024年交通部长因地铁延误事件向议会辞职，体现“问责机制”的严格性。

Collective responsibility system: Cabinet members are all members of parliament and are collectively responsible to the parliament. The resignation of the Minister of Transport to Parliament in 2024 due to subway delays reflects the strictness of the accountability mechanism.

总检察长的双重角色：作为政府首席法律顾问，同时拥有刑事起诉裁量权，可决定是否对案件提起公诉。2023年对某网红“虚假信息案”，总检察长以“社会危害性较低”为由决定不起诉，引发公众对起诉标准的热议。

The dual role of the Attorney General is to serve as the government's chief legal advisor, while also possessing criminal prosecution discretion to decide whether to prosecute a case. In 2023, the Prosecutor General decided not to prosecute a certain internet celebrity for the "false information case" on the grounds of "low social harm", which sparked a heated discussion among the public about the prosecution standards.

议会除行使立法权外，还承担监督职能。议会中的议员构成较为多元，在93名议员中，83名为民选议员（GE），3名为非选区议员（NCMP，来自得票率最高的落选政党），7名为提名议员（NMP，由总统任命的专业人士）。2024年NMP中的环保专家成功推动《碳足迹披露法》修正案。

In addition to exercising legislative power, the parliament also undertakes supervisory functions. The composition of members in the parliament is relatively diverse, with 83 elected members (GE), 3 non constituency members (NCMP, from the highest vote losing political party), and 7 nominated members (NMP, professionals appointed by the president) out of 93 members. In 2024, environmental experts in NMP successfully pushed for amendments to the Carbon Footprint Disclosure Act.

此外，法案需经专门委员会审议，如《知识产权修正法案》曾由“贸工与法律联合委员会”召开12场听证会，吸纳企业与律师界意见28条。

In addition, the bill needs to be reviewed by a specialized committee. For example, the "Intellectual Property Amendment Act" was previously reviewed by the Joint Committee on Trade, Industry and Law, which held 12 hearings and incorporated 28 opinions from businesses and the legal community.

司法权由最高法院与国家法院行使，其独立性通过三重机制保障：

Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court and national courts, and its independence is guaranteed through a triple mechanism:

任期与薪酬保障：最高法院法官终身任职（65岁强制退休可延长），薪酬由“司法薪酬委员会”独立确定，不低于内阁部长水平。

Term and salary guarantee: Supreme Court judges serve for life (mandatory retirement at the age of 65 can be extended), and their salaries are independently determined by the Judicial Remuneration Committee, not lower than the level of cabinet ministers.

行政独立：法院行政管理由“司法行政部”负责，不受司法部干预。2023年最高法院自行决定增设“商事诉讼专门庭”，无需政府审批。

Administrative independence: The administrative management of courts is the responsibility of the "Judicial Administration Department" and is not subject to interference from the Ministry of Justice. In 2023, the Supreme Court will independently decide to establish a "Commercial Litigation Special Court" without the need for government approval.

违宪审查权：最高法院有权宣告立法或行政行为违宪。2022年高等法院裁定“某部委限制社交媒体言论的行政令”违宪，政府随即撤销该命令。

Constitutional review power: The Supreme Court has the power to declare legislative or administrative actions unconstitutional. In 2022, the High Court ruled that the administrative order by a certain department to restrict social media speech was unconstitutional, and the government immediately revoked the order.

新加坡法院体系分为三级，覆盖民事、刑事、家事等所有纠纷类型，以“高效、专业”著称，民事案件平均审理周期仅为4.2个月。

The Singapore court system is divided into three levels, covering all types of disputes such as civil, criminal, and family matters, and is known for its efficiency and professionalism. The average trial period for civil cases is only 4.2 months.

由上诉庭（Court of Appeal）与高等法院（High Court）组成，是最高司法机构。上诉庭由首席大法官及5名上诉法官组成，为终审法院，每年审理约300起重大上诉案件。2023年审理的 “某跨境并购反垄断案”，其判决被英、澳等国法院援引。

Composed of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, it is the highest judicial institution. The appellate court is composed of the Chief Justice and five appellate judges, serving as the final court of appeal and hearing approximately 300 major appeal cases annually. The verdict of the "Cross border Mergers and Acquisitions Anti Monopoly Case" tried in 2023 has been cited by courts in countries such as the UK and Australia.

高等法院管辖诉讼标的超50万新元的民事案件、死刑及无期徒刑刑事案件，同时设有商事、知识产权、海事等专门分庭。2024年商事分庭审理案件标的总额达280亿新元。

The High Court has jurisdiction over civil cases with litigation targets exceeding SGD 500000, as well as death penalty and life imprisonment criminal cases, and also has specialized divisions for commercial, intellectual property, maritime, and other areas. The total amount of cases heard by the Commercial Division in 2024 is SGD 28 billion.

作为初审法院，年受理案件超30万件，占法院案件总量的92%，包括：

As the first instance court, it handles over 300000 cases annually, accounting for 92% of the total court cases, including:

普通法院：地区法院（民事标的10-50万新元、刑事可判10年以下监禁）与治安法庭（民事标的低于10万新元、刑事可判3年以下监禁）。

Ordinary courts: District courts (civil subject matter of SGD 100000 to SGD 500000, criminal punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years) and Magistrates' Courts (civil subject matter of less than SGD 100000, criminal punishable by imprisonment for up to 3 years).

专门法庭：涵盖小额索赔法庭（标的≤3万新元，无需律师代理）、劳动争议法庭（处理薪资纠纷）、验尸法庭（调查非自然死亡）等。2023年小额索赔法庭结案率达98%，平均审理时间仅14天。

Specialized courts: covering small claims courts (subject matter ≤ SGD 30000, no need for legal representation), labor dispute courts (handling salary disputes), autopsy courts (investigating non natural deaths), etc. The settlement rate of small claims court in 2023 will reach 98%, with an average trial time of only 14 days.

2014年设立的独立法院系统，集中处理家庭与青少年案件。家庭法庭审理离婚、抚养权纠纷，青少年法庭处理16岁以下未成年人犯罪，高等法院家庭分庭管辖财产标的超500万新元的离婚案。该法院秉承调解优先的原则，强制要求离婚案件先经调解，2024年调解成功率达67%，显著降低诉讼成本。

The independent court system established in 2014 focuses on handling family and youth cases. The Family Court handles divorce and custody disputes, the Youth Court handles crimes committed by minors under the age of 16, and the Family Division of the High Court has jurisdiction over divorce cases involving property assets exceeding SGD 5 million. The court adheres to the principle of prioritizing mediation and requires divorce cases to be mediated first. By 2024, the success rate of mediation will reach 67%, significantly reducing litigation costs.

新加坡法律职业实行“准入严苛、监管严格”的制度，现有执业律师约6800人，平均每10万人口拥有110名律师，专业水平获国际认可。

The legal profession in Singapore implements a strict admission and supervision system, with approximately 6800 practicing lawyers and an average of 110 lawyers per 100000 population. The professional level is internationally recognized.

法务部（MinLaw）2023年通过《法律职业修正法案》，对律师准入制度进行重大调整。

The Ministry of Justice (MinLaw) will pass the "Legal Professional Amendment Act" in 2023, which will make significant adjustments to the lawyer admission system.

一是双路径准入，执业律师需通过新加坡律师资格考试（Part B），完成1年实习培训，并取得临时执业证书（Provisional PC）后方可执业。非执业律师需通过Part B考试但无需实习，可获“律师（非执业）”资格，从事公司法务等工作。

The first is dual pathway access, where practicing lawyers must pass the Singapore Bar Examination (Part B), complete one year of internship training, and obtain a Temporary Practice Certificate (Provisional PC) before they can practice. Non practicing lawyers need to pass the Part B exam but do not require internships to obtain the qualification of "Lawyer (Non Practicing)" and engage in legal work for companies.

二是实习制度革新，允许3个月实习在企业法务部完成，解决“律所实习名额不足”问题。2024年首批有120名实习生采用该模式。

The second is the reform of the internship system, which allows for a 3-month internship to be completed in the legal department of the enterprise, solving the problem of "insufficient internship quotas in law firms". The first batch of 120 interns will adopt this model in 2024.

分为“事务律师（Solicitor）”与“大律师（Barrister）”，但界限较英国模糊。

Divided into "Solicitor" and "Barrister", but the boundaries are more blurred than in the UK.

事务律师占比95%，可从事诉讼与非诉业务，由新加坡律师公会（Law Society）监管。若违反职业操守，可能面临罚款、暂停执业甚至吊销执照。2023年有3名律师因“利益冲突未披露”被暂停执业6个月。

95% of the total number of lawyers are Solicitor who can engage in both litigation and non litigation business, and are regulated by the Law Society of Singapore. If violating professional ethics, one may face fines, suspension of practice, or even revocation of license. In 2023, three lawyers were suspended from practice for six months due to undisclosed conflicts of interest.

大律师仅约300人，需经首席大法官批准，专注于高端诉讼代理，尤其是最高法院案件。

There are only about 300 Barrister, who require approval from the Chief Justice and specialize in high-end litigation representation, especially in Supreme Court cases.

为提升效率，新加坡建立了完善的法律辅助体系。法律执行官（Legal Executive）需通过专业考试，可协助律师处理合同起草、产权转让等事务，但不得出庭辩护。特许法律技术员（Chartered Legal Executive）是2022年新增的资质，可独立处理小额索赔等简单案件，收费仅为律师的50%，有效降低法律服务门槛。

To improve efficiency, Singapore has established a comprehensive legal assistance system. Legal Executive requires passing professional exams and can assist lawyers in drafting contracts, transferring property rights, and other matters, but cannot appear in court for defense. Chartered Legal Executive is a newly added qualification in 2022, which can independently handle simple cases such as small claims. The fee is only 50% of that of a lawyer, effectively reducing the threshold for legal services.

新加坡法律体系通过一系列特色机制，实现“公正与效率”的平衡，巩固其国际法治枢纽地位。

The Singapore legal system achieves a balance between "fairness and efficiency" through a series of distinctive mechanisms, consolidating its position as an international legal hub.

1969年废除民事陪审团制度，1994年废除刑事陪审团制度，改为 “法官独任审理”或“合议庭审理”。之所以有这种改动是因为政府认为陪审团易受舆论影响，且审理周期长。2023年数据显示，刑事案件审理周期较陪审团时代缩短40%。

In 1969, the civil jury system was abolished, and in 1994, the criminal jury system was abolished and replaced with "judge only trial" or "collegiate bench trial". The reason for this change is that the government believes that the jury is easily influenced by public opinion and the trial period is long. According to data from 2023, the trial period for criminal cases has been shortened by 40% compared to the jury era.

但也存在例外情形，仅在“煽动叛乱”等极少数案件中，可由总检察长申请启用陪审团，但近20年未出现此类案例。

But there are also exceptions, only in a very small number of cases such as "inciting rebellion", can the Attorney General apply to use a jury, but there have been no such cases in the past 20 years.

新加坡是亚洲ADR中心，2024年民商事纠纷中，62%通过非诉讼方式解决：

Singapore is an ADR center in Asia, with 62% of civil and commercial disputes resolved through non litigation means in 2024.

法院附设调解：诉讼前强制调解，由法院认可的调解员主持，调解成功可申请法院确认效力。

Court attached mediation: Compulsory mediation before litigation, presided over by a mediator recognized by the court. If mediation is successful, the court can apply for confirmation of its effectiveness.

国际仲裁优势：新加坡国际仲裁中心（SIAC）2023年受理案件587 起，涉及45个国家，标的总额达120亿新元，位列全球第三。

Advantages of International Arbitration: The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) will handle 587 cases in 2023, involving 45 countries with a total amount of SGD 12 billion, ranking third in the world.

新加坡法院是全球数字化程度最高的司法系统之一。新加坡的电子诉讼平台（eLitigation）可实现立案、举证、庭审全流程线上进行，2023年线上立案率达96%。新加坡还引入了AI系统审查合同、预测判决结果，高等法院商事庭使用AI后，文书处理效率提升35%。

The Singapore courts are one of the most digitized judicial systems in the world. Singapore's eLitigation platform enables the entire process of filing, presenting evidence, and conducting court hearings online, with an online filing rate of 96% by 2023. Singapore has also introduced AI systems to review contracts and predict judgment results. After using AI, the efficiency of document processing in the High Court Commercial Division has increased by 35%.

新加坡凭借完善的法律体系，成为国际商事纠纷解决与法律服务中心。

Singapore, with its comprehensive legal system, has become an international center for resolving commercial disputes and providing legal services.

在国际法治排名方面，新加坡连续10年在“国际商事仲裁友好度”排名全球第一，2024年被国际商会（ICC）评为“最佳跨境诉讼地”。

In terms of international rule of law rankings, Singapore has ranked first in the world in terms of "friendliness in international commercial arbitration" for 10 consecutive years, and was awarded the "Best Cross border Litigation Place" by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 2024.

法律服务出口方面，2023年法律服务业产值达38亿新元，其中60%来自跨境业务，主要服务东南亚及中国企业的投资纠纷。

In terms of legal service exports, the output value of the legal service industry will reach SGD 3.8 billion in 2023, of which 60% will come from cross-border business, mainly serving investment disputes of Southeast Asian and Chinese enterprises.

另外还有国际法律合作方面，新加坡与32个国家签署《判决承认与执行条约》，2023年协助执行外国判决127起，较2018年增长83%。

In addition, in terms of international legal cooperation, Singapore has signed the "Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments Treaty" with 32 countries, and assisted in the enforcement of 127 foreign judgments in 2023, an increase of 83% compared to 2018.