Attorney-General Lucien Wong reappointed for a second term despite exceeding retirement age

President Halimah Yacob reappointed Attorney-General (AG) Lucien Wong for a second term, at the Istana on Tuesday (14 Jan). The President later said on Facebook: “I am confident that Mr Wong will discharge his duties fairly and with integrity.”

Mr Wong was sworn in as AG for a second term despite the fact that he is past retirement age. According to Article 35(4) of the Constitution, the AG may be appointed for a specific period and vacate his office at the end of the fixed period. Otherwise, the AG is permitted to hold office until the retirement age of 60 years old.

An AG who has reached the age of 60 may remain in office for a fixed period of time if the President agrees with the advice of the Prime Minister to permit an AG who has passed the age of 60 to continue serving as the Government’s top legal adviser and public prosecutor for a specific period of time.

Mr Wong, a lawyer with over 30 years legal experience who previously served as chairman and senior partner of Singapore’s largest law firm Allen & Gledhill, is perhaps most well known for acting as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal lawyer before he was appointed AG.

Mr Wong became Singapore’s ninth Attorney-General when he took over from former AG Mr V.K. Rajah in 2017, when Mr Rajah ended his service as AG upon reaching the retirement age of 60 years.

Mr Wong was already 63 years old when he was first appointed AG. He will turn 67 years old this year and will be 70 – 10 years older than the retirement age – at the end of his second term as AG.

At this current point in time, Mr Wong is already the third-longest serving AG since Singapore’s independence – even before he completes his second term.

When asked for his comments on his reappointment as AG, Mr Wong told the Business Times: “The past three years in the AGC have proven to be demanding, exciting and, most importantly, rewarding. I am deeply impressed by the quality of the AGC’s officers and look forward to continue working with them in my second term as the Attorney-General.”