Steven Chong Wan Oon () is a Bruneimagistrate who was appointed chief justice of the
Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam
The Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam is the highest court of Brunei Darussalam, though its decisions are subject to appeal in civil cases to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Chief Justice and other Judges of the Supreme Court ar ...
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
in London. He became a magistrate in the Subordinate Court of Brunei in 1984. He was promoted to High Court judge in 2001.
Chief Justice
The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...
, appointed Steven Chong as chief justice of the Supreme Court as of 30 June 2018. He replaced Dato Seri Paduka Haji Kifrawi bin Kifli, who had been chief justice for nine years. On 15 July 2019 the Sultan invested him into the Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei First Class, which carries the title "Dato Seri Paduka".
In July 2019, Steven Chong was awarded the International Jurists Award 2019, presented by Adish C. Aggarwala, President of the International Council of Jurists. At the ceremony Richard Lindsay, British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, expressed his appreciation to the International Council of Jurists for their work across the world in the development of justice and equality. In January 2020 Chong announced media guidelines to “Promote transparency and the principle of open justice; facilitate fair and accurate reporting of matters before the court; and enhance public understanding of the court’s function and its work.” He also introduced a judicial conduct and ethics handbook giving guidelines for the conduct of judges and judicial officers.
Steven Chong and Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, Paul Lam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance their mutual collaboration in topics pertaining to the avoidance and settlement of disputes on 5 May 2023. The Memorandum of collaboration offers a framework for enhancing communication and collaboration between Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Brunei on issues pertaining to conflict avoidance and resolution, as well as to support the growth of relevant services between the two locations.
On 5 August 2023, a cooperation agreement between the Supreme Courts of Singapore and Brunei aims to improve two-way communication, cooperation, and collaboration on a range of topics relating to preventing and resolving conflicts. The Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of Singapore and Brunei, Steven Chong and Sundaresh Menon, respectively, signed the aforementioned cooperation agreement.
Personal life
Steven Chong is the son of Celestine Kong Nyet Khyun (died September 2014).
Awards and honours
Awards
* International Jurists Award 2019
Honours
Steven Chong has earned the following honours;
* Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei First Class (SPMB; 15 July 2019) – ''Dato Seri Paduka''