RAUS Sharif will be officially sworn in tonight as the chief justice, reports say.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 10pm at Istana Negara, according to a press release cited by various media.

Raus’ retirement date was yesterday, after he reached the age of 66 years and six months, the term limit for a Federal Court judge. The extension will be for three years from today.

His swearing-in tonight comes a day after the Malaysian Bar voted overwhelmingly at an emergency general meeting (EGM) in favour of a no-confidence motion regarding the term extension, and that of Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin. The Bar intends to challenge the extensions in court.

Raus and Zulkefli were appointed as additional judges in the Federal Court on July 7 by the Prime Minister’s Office, extending their tenures by an additional three and two years respectively. Zulkefli was originally set to retire on September 27.

Their appointments have been mired in controversy and protest from the legal fraternity for being unconstitutional.

Opposition leaders have also submitted a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to seek his intervention to stop the reappointment of Raus and Zulkefli. – August 4, 2017.