An uncertain future for substantive legitimate expectations in Singapore: SGB Starkstrom Pte Ltd v Commissioner of Labour [2016] 3 SLR 598

• Main Author: CHNG, Kenny
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: Administrative law; comparative law; legitimate expectation; Singapore; socio-legal studies; Administrative Law; Asian Studies; Business Organizations Law; Public Law and Legal Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2779
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In SGB Starkstrom Pte Ltd v Commissioner of Labour [2016] 3 SLR 598, the Singapore Court of Appeal was faced with the question of whether to accept the doctrine of substantive legitimate expectations in Singapore law. The Singapore Court of Appeal refrained from expressing a definitive conclusion on the matter, and took the opportunity to express a number of its concerns over the doctrine. The note explores the ramifications of the case on the future of substantive legitimate expectations in Singapore. It argues that the Court of Appeal’s concerns with the doctrine are not insurmountable, and that it may yet be possible to formulate the doctrine in a manner consistent with Singapore’s constitutional and socio-political context to make a valuable contribution to Singapore’s administrative law jurisprudence.