KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat expressed the Malaysian judiciary’s condolences to the family of Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram over his death today.

The CJ said the passing of the former senior judge was a loss that would be deeply felt by the judiciary and country.

"The judiciary and all of its members offer our condolences to the family of late Gopal Sri Ram, the former Federal Court Judge.

"His passing is a great loss to Malaysia’s judiciary body as well as our legal fraternity,” said Tengku Maimun in a statement.

She added that Gopal had contributed immensely to the judiciary throughout his tenure in both the Court of Appeal, to which he was appointed in 1994, and Federal Court that he joined in 2009.

Sri Ram returned to the legal fraternity as a lawyer after retiring from the bench in 2010, and had been appointed as a fiat prosecutor to handle the prosecution of cases related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

Sri Ram, 79, died this afternoon at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur, after a week of intensive care following a lung infection.

He was the lead prosecutor for the 1MDB cases involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is currently imprisoned after being convicted in one of these.

Tributes have poured in from the legal fraternity as well as national leaders such as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over Sri Ram’s death.