Ariffin likely next CJ, two others move up

Zaki’s contract expires this September. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Ariffin Zakaria is now tipped to succeed Tun Zaki Azmi when the chief justice retires in September, as the most senior chief-justice-in-waiting, Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, retires this Sunday —a year ahead of schedule.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Federal Court judge Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin will succeed Ariffin as the chief judge while Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif will be named President of the Court of Appeal. Tan Sri Richard Malanjum will remain as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

“The list has been confirmed. Ariffin will be the new CJ in September. Zulkefli is the new chief judge and Raus is the appeal court chief,” a government source told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the Conference of Rulers had approved the appointments recently, months after Alauddin had sent a letter to the King in March, asking to retire on his 65th birthday this year, due to ill-health related to prostate issues.

Alauddin was in line to take over the country’s top judicial post as chief justice from Zaki, who turn 66 this September 12.

The Malaysian Insider reported in March that Alauddin had sent a resignation letter despite having more than a year left in service.

“There is talk of dissatisfaction on the succession after Zaki but the judges won’t talk about this openly,” a source told The Malaysian Insider then.

Zaki was in private practice until his appointment as Federal Court judge in 2007. His tenure as chief justice has seen changes to clear the backlog in the judicial system that had led to complaints from the Malaysian Bar.

The government has committed to modernising the judicial system, including the digital registration of cases, which has run into some implementation issues, but Zaki is working with the lawyers to resolve the problems before his retirement in September.

His likely successor, Ariffin, joined the judicial service in 1974 and served in various capacities therein including as a federal counsel and legal advisor before being made a judicial commissioner in 1992.

He was elevated as a High Court judge two years later. In 2002 he was promoted to the Court of Appeal before moving up to the Federal Court in 2005. He is now 61 and has five years left in the service.

Zulkefli entered the judicial service in 1976 as a deputy public prosecutor and served in other capacities before being named as judicial commissioner in 1994.

He became a High Court judge in 1996 and was then elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2005 before being promoted to the Federal Court in 2007. He is now 60 years old.

Md Raus began his legal career as a magistrate in 1976 and later as a sessions court judge before switching to be a deputy public prosecutor in 1980. He was later named to various posts as legal adviser until 1994 when he was made a judicial commissioner.

He then became a high court judge and later promoted to the appeals court. He is also 60 years old.