Malaysia gets first woman Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, fills all top judicial posts

Malaysia gets first woman Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, fills all top judicial posts

PUTRAJAYA, July 28 — Federal Court judge Datuk Abu Bakar Jais was sworn in today as the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), while Court of Appeal judge Datuk Azizah Nawawi became the first woman to become the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak (CJSS).

The two took their oath of office and loyalty during a ceremony at the Palace of Justice here.

Earlier in the morning, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh was appointed and sworn in as the Chief Justice (CJ) of Malaysia at Istana Negara.

Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim will continue on as Chief Judge of Malaya until her retirement in November; she was elevated to the judiciary’s third-highest position last November.

With these appointments, all four of Malaysia’s top judicial positions have now been filled following the retirement of the previous CJ, PCA and CJSS earlier this month.

This afternoon, six individuals were appointed as Court of Appeal judges, namely Shahnaz Sulaiman, Datin Evrol Mariette Peters, Ong Chee Kwan, Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid, Leonard David Shim, and Nadzarin Wok Nordin.

Fourteen judicial commissioners were also elevated to High Court judges today, including Maslinda @ Linda Mohd Ainal, Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah, Choong Yeow Choy, Saiful Azian Mokhtar, Evawani Farisyta Mohamad and Indra Nehru Savandiah.

Others appointed as High Court judges are Sumathi Murugiah, Moses Susayan, Kan Weng Hin, Wendy Ooi Su Ghee, Mohd Rosli Yusoff, Hazlina Hussain, Roszianayati Ahmad and Mohamad Haldar Abdul Aziz.

Among those present at the oath-taking ceremony were former chief justices Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Tun Md Raus Sharif and Tun Arifin Zakaria, as well as Malaysian Bar president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab.

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