PUTRAJAYA, Jan 17 — Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri 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 Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah also took his oath as the Chief Judge of Malaya, followed by Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli, 63, also from Sarawak, who was sworn in as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

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

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

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

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

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

He 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 to enter their defence or be freed of a charge of tampering with the 1MDB audit report.

Apart from this, 11 Judicial Commissioners took their oaths as High Court judges. They are Datuk Norsharidah Awang, 62; Tee Geok Hock, 64; Datuk Zaleha Rose Pandin, 61; Alice Loke Yee Ching, 60; Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid, 59; Dr 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.

Five individuals were sworn in as Judicial Commissioners, namely Zaharah Hussain, who was High Court Registrar; M. Sumathi (KL Industrial Court chairman); Suzana Muhamad Said (Senior Fellow (Law), Economic & Management Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), Evawani Farisyta Mohammad (Petronas lawyer) and Wendy Ooi Su Ghee (Gan & Zul Partners).

Also present at the ceremony at the Palace of Justice were Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh. — Bernama