Overview

• The King approved Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as Chief Justice, Abu Bakar Jais as President of the Court of Appeal and Azizah Nawawi as Chief Judge of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak.
• These confirmations close the leadership gap created by the early July retirements of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Court of Appeal President Abang Iskandar Abang Ismail.
• The three judges will be formally sworn in at Istana Negara before Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar on July 28.
• The Malaysian Bar and civil society groups are demanding transparency and removal of the prime minister’s role in the Judicial Appointments Commission to bolster judicial independence.
• Royal Malaysian Police are investigating a leak of confidential Judicial Appointments Commission minutes that alleged political interference in judge selections.