PUTRAJAYA, July 28 — Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat today dismissed the idea that she had influenced Federal Court decisions during her six-year tenure as the country’s top judge.
The recently retired judge pointed to her own dissenting judgments in constitutional cases as proof that judges had decided cases independently.
“For the past six years, the Federal Court had decided 19 cases involving various issues of constitutional law,” she said at the Palace of Justice here, after the swearing-in ceremony of Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Azizah Nawawi as the president of the Court of Appeal and te chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak respectively.
“And out of that 19 cases, I was dissenting in five cases. So I think statistically, five out of 19 represents about 25 per cent of the dissenting judgments.”
Tengku Maimun said this showed judges were free from pressure, including from herself when she was chief justice.
“So I think that fact alone would manifest that judges decided independently without fear or favour, without external or internal pressure.
“Because if I had any influence on their decisions, then surely I would not be dissenting in five out of 19 cases involving especially constitutional law.”
YAA Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli is pictured during the swearing-in ceremony as a new Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak at Palace of Justice in Putrajaya January 17, 2023. Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Tengku Maimun was asked about a recent speech by Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Sebli who recently retired as chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak and had alleged interference in a Federal Court case involving constitutional issues.
“Let’s not make it a contest of words between two people or more than two people. Perhaps I can just share some facts,” she replied.
Tengku Maimun retired earlier this month after serving as the first woman chief justice in Malaysia.
She said her retirement has been peaceful.
“Alhamdulillah, feeling very free, enjoying quiet moments,” she said.
She also congratulated those appointed to new roles in the judiciary today.
