Speech by Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Mr Murali Pillai SC, at the Opening of Singapore Prison Service Video Courts
29 Apr 2026 Posted in Speeches
Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary Home Affairs,
Ms Valerie Thean, Deputy Attorney-General,
Principal District Judges, Mr Toh Han Li, Mr James Leong, and Mr Toh Yung Cheong,
Ms Jasbendar Kaur, Deputy Principal District Judge,
Mr Matthew Wee, Commissioner of Prisons,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Introduction
1. A very good afternoon to you. Today, we are gathered here not just to open a facility, but to celebrate a shared vision of the judicial system for Singapore.
2. The administration of justice by law is among the most human of our endeavours, and this facility delivers an important public service.
3. This afternoon, we open the Singapore Prison Service Video Courts, which is an illustration of how we approach public administration in Singapore. I would like to thank SPS for inviting me here. I also acknowledge our partners from the Judiciary, Attorney-General’s Chambers, Law Society, MHA, HTX, and all officers who have worked to make this possible.
4. Today is a tangible step in how Singapore ensures that our criminal justice system benefits from modern technologies while upholding the enduring principles of the rule of law and public trust. One important way we do this is to make sure that our legal infrastructure is efficient, secure, and accessible.
Video in early days
5. Let me begin with some context. Singapore started using videoconferencing for court hearings as early as 1996. I remember this vividly because I was in private legal practice then. At that time, the use was limited to, for example applications for bail and extensions of remand. It was a useful tool, but remained at the margins of the system.
6. Over time, as technology matured and confidence grew, deliberate steps were taken to expand its role. In 2018, Parliament amended the Criminal Procedure Code to enable videoconferencing for plead-guilty and sentencing hearings involving remand prisoners. The aim was clear: to modernise court processes, while preserving fairness and due process.
7. SPS then embarked on a project in February 2019 to significantly expand video court capabilities. When COVID-19 struck, this work became even more urgent. Retrofitting works in 2020 and 2021 saw the construction of 13 videoconferencing cubicles, allowing many more hearings to continue despite public health restrictions.
8. The pandemic highlighted how important it is for Singapore’s justice system to be resilient. The project scope was further expanded in 2022 to future-proof our processes. MHA, SPS, and the Judiciary recognised that remote hearings would not only be useful in a crisis but could become a core part of how we deliver justice.
9. The impact is clear. Between 2020 and 2025, SPS facilitated approximately 104,000 remote hearings. These made up more than 90 percent of court hearings facilitated by SPS during that period.
10. Over time, we have found that technology confers an ability to increase our capacity, our resilience, and to do both efficiently and without undue strain on public resources.
Progress with SPS Video Courts
11. The expanded SPS Video Courts facility will do all three to greater effect.
12. First, greater capacity. With this project, the number of video-conferencing enabled rooms has increased from 17 to 81. This expands the Judiciary’s ability to conduct hearings remotely and gives our courts more options to schedule and manage cases.
13. Second, accessibility and resilience. These video courts are designed with users in mind. Features such as the digital queue systems, improved acoustics, and facilities for inmates with disabilities help make hearings smoother. The facility is equipped to support modern videoconferencing platforms, so that court sessions can continue even during pandemics or other disruptions. Justice will not be delayed, even if there are severe disruptions to our ordinary routines.
14. Third, operational efficiency and safety. For SPS, the reduced need for transport and escort arrangements mitigates operational, security and health risks, including exposure to pandemics and the inherent risks of movement outside secure facilities. Where an inmate is to be released or discharged after court, having the hearing conducted by videoconferencing from Changi Prison Complex enables quicker processing.
15. For the Courts, the expanded video facilities offer more flexibility. Inmates who cannot attend sessions in person because of health or other reasons can still attend remotely.
16. The design also preserves effective communication and confidentiality between clients in remand and their lawyers. When counsel needs to take instructions during a video hearing, the court can pause briefly so that counsel and client are placed in a separate virtual room to speak privately, with lawyer-client privilege preserved.
17. Outside of court, as part of a pilot initiative, lawyers can also arrange remote interviews with their clients in remand, including over video. This reduces the need to travel to the prisons, saves time and costs, and still maintains the necessary security and safeguards for SPS.
18. The feedback from the Bar has been encouraging. The Law Society’s Criminal Law Practice Committee has told us that the video courts and remote client access are highly positive developments. And I thank them for their support too.
19. Taken together, these features allow us to streamline court proceedings, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance overall system efficiency while preserving fairness and access.
Digital innovation to enhance access to justice
20. These developments in SPS are part of a larger story about how Singapore is using technology to enhance the delivery of public services.
21. At the Ministry of Law, our public mission is to advance access to justice and the rule of law. This includes ensuring that our legal framework and institutions remain fit for purpose in a fast-changing world.
22. This year, as we commemorate SGLaw200 – 200 years since the Second Charter of Justice laid the foundations of our modern legal system – we are reminded that the rule of law cannot be taken for granted or left unchanged.
23. The SPS Video Courts align with Singapore’s broader digital transformation of the courts and the legal sector, including the Ministry of Law’s Technology and Innovation Roadmap, which helps lawyers and law firms adopt legal technology and digital workflows so that they can work more effectively with the courts and better serve users of the justice system.
24. We are seeing complementary innovations across the system. The remote Zoom interviews that lawyers and their clients in remand use today was introduced in June 2024, with 76 law firms being invited to participate in the pilot and have since been refined. Electronic filing systems are becoming standard. Virtual hearings are expanding across different court settings. These initiatives collectively contribute to a more integrated, modern justice system.
25. In that context, the SPS Video Courts is a concrete example of how we are writing the next chapter of our legal system.
26. These initiatives show what can be achieved when agencies work together with a clear focus on outcomes for court users, without compromising on fairness or security.
Coordination across the criminal justice ecosystem
27. The SPS Video Courts also demonstrate the importance of close coordination in our criminal justice ecosystem.
28. MHA and SPS worked closely with the Judiciary to gather the operational and technical requirements for the project. HTX designed and implemented the infrastructure with inputs from SPS. The Ministry of Law updated our legislative and policy frameworks in consultation with our stakeholders including the Law Society, which provided important views and feedback.
29. We take our bearing from a shared commitment. New technology may change how justice is delivered, but it must not change what justice means. Privacy, fairness and security remain our key guiding principles.
30. They will continue to be our moral compass ahead, as this facility is used for further innovation. As technology evolves, whether in the form of better video tools, smarter scheduling systems, or more seamless digital workflows, and as we explore the potential of AI-enabled technologies, we must remember that law and justice remain quintessentially human. This foundation will guide us as we adopt and scale these solutions across the system.
Closing
31. In closing, let me once again commend the Judiciary, Attorney-General’s Chambers, Law Society, MHA, SPS, HTX, and all officers and partners who have contributed to the development of the SPS Video Courts.
32. Your years of hard work, from the early pilots through the difficult period of COVID-19, have made a difference in shaping a justice system that is efficient, secure and accessible, even under severe stress.
33. I now want to pay a tribute to Mr Pang Kin Keong who will retire as the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 1 June 2026. He has a unique view of what we are commemorating today, having also been PS for Law. In fact, in 35 years of service, there has not been much he has not done! His deep dedication and unfailing leadership in our service allowed us to fulfil our public missions.
34. I have had the honour of knowing PS Pang in my previous capacities as member and, later, Chairman of the GPC for Home Affairs & Law and now as a political appointment holder in the Ministry of Law. I also served with him in the Sentencing Advisory Panel. I can personally attest to the fact that it is not easy to win an argument over him.
35. PS Pang, thank you for your dedicated service! Wishing you good health and every success in your future endeavours.
36. I also wish to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to Mr Matthew Wee on his appointment as Commissioner of Prisons earlier this month on 1 April 2026.
37. We are all aware of the turbulence in the Middle East today, and the knock on effects it can have on energy markets, supply chains and, ultimately, our daily lives. The Government has stood up the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee to coordinate our national response and to safeguard our critical systems.
38. This is the same unwavering spirit which underlies initiatives like the SPS Video Courts. In a world more uncertain, our key institutions must be ever more vigilant and reliable, so that we can provide public services to our people uninterrupted.
39. The most essential among these, is not something tangible like petrol or water, but something more abstract, that all of us in this room work to uphold, justice, fairness and truth. We must continue to embed these in our institutions which will be robust enough to withstand the disorders of our current world, trusted by all whom we serve.
40. Thank you very much.
Last updated on 29 April 2026