CHIEF Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim was today sworn in as the Court of Appeal president, the second-highest post in the judiciary.

Abang Iskandar, 63, who is from Sarawak, replaced Tan Sri Rohana Yusuf, who retired in November last year.

Abang Iskandar is the first judge from Sabah and Sarawak to be appointed Court of Appeal president.

Federal Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah took his oath as chief judge of Malaya, followed by the swearing-in of Federal Court judge Abdul Rahman Sebli, 63, also from Sarawak, as chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

Zabidin, 65, from Kedah, replaced Azahar Mohamed, who retired on October 27 last year.

Court of Appeal judge Nordin Hassan, 59, took his oath as a Federal Court judge.

Six High Court judges took their oaths as Court of Appeal judges – Azman Abdullah, 61; Azimah Omar, 60; Lim Chong Fong, 60; Collin Lawrence Sequerah, 62; Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, 55; and Wong Kian Kheong, 58.

Sequerah was the judge who presided over the hearing of former prime minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Yayasan Akalbudi graft trial.

Zaini was the judge who heard the corruption case of former Federal Territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and the corruption and money laundering trial of Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor.

Sequerah is scheduled to deliver his decision on January 30 this year on whether Najib and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy would be called in to enter their defence or be acquitted of a charge of tampering with a 1MDB audit report.

Eleven judicial commissioners took their oaths as High Court judges – Norsharidah Awang, 62; Tee Geok Hock, 64; Zaleha Rose Pandin, 61; Alice Loke Yee Ching, 60; Azhar Abdul Hamid, 59; Arik Sanusi Yeop Johari, 53; G. Bhupindar Singh, 59; Mahazan Mat Taib, 55; Ahmad Murad Abdul Aziz, 63; Liza Chan Sow Keng, 65; and Wan Muhammad Amin Wan Yahya, 50.

There were five people who were sworn in as judicial commissioners – Zaharah Hussain, who was a High Court registrar; M. Sumathi, who was Kuala Lumpur industrial court chairman; Suzana Muhamad Said; Evawani Farisyta Mohammad; and Wendy Ooi Su Ghee.

Also present at the ceremony at the Palace of Justice were Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Attorney-General Idrus Harun, and Deputy Law and Institutional Reform Minister Ramkarpal Singh. – Bernama, January 17, 2023.