11-12 March, delegation of the Supreme Court of Ukraine headed by Liudmyla Okhrimchuk, judge of the Judicial Chamber on Civil Cases, carried out a working visit to Singapore.

The Supreme Court of Singapore (www.supremecourt.gov.sg) hosted the visit and provided intensive program through which members of the judicial branch of Ukraine had the opportunity to study Singapore experience of organization and functioning of the judicial system.

The delegation visited Subordinate Courts, Academy of Law, Singapore Mediation Center, as well as the Court of Appeals and High Court of Singapore.

Special attention was paid to the technology of electronic court proceedings and, in particular, to information services provided within the judiciary.

Mostly delegation focused on studying the Singapore experience of disputes resolving through mediation procedure that allows a large number of cases that might be the subject of litigation to be resolved by mutual consent of the parties.

At the meeting with Ukrainian judges Sundaresh Menon, the Chief Justice of Singapore, responded the question about prerequisite for gaining high degree of public trust in the judiciary in Singapore, he said: "Since formation of Singapore as an independent state (1965) we emphasized on social integrity and "zero" tolerance to corruption." He also talked about unlimited access to justice, everybody’s equality before the law and the inevitability of punishment for crimes.

Chief Justice Suresh Menon was proposed to support regular working contacts between the two Courts. He also received invitation on behalf of the Chief Justice of Ukraine Petro Pylypchuk to visit Ukraine.

In conclusion of the visit, the delegation of the Supreme Court of Ukraine called in the Embassy of Ukraine to discuss a number of issues of Ukraine-Singapore collaboration, as well as the problems in providing legal assistance to citizens and legal entities of Ukraine abroad.