Speculation is rife in the legal fraternity that several public prosecutors and senior lawyers will be appointed as judicial commissioners to fill 10 vacant spots in the benches of the High Court across the country.
They include Federal Court registrar Azimah Omar, who is expected to leave her post soon to take up appointment as a judicial commissioner.
Another name bandied in the legal fraternity is lawyer Wong Kian Kheong (left), who represented political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, and who also appeared for former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik in the Port Klang Free Zone case.
Wong was a deputy public prosecutor before he moved into private practice.
Others mentioned as potential judicial commissioners are Colin Sequeira, also a lawyer in private practice, and current Trial and Appeals Division head in the Attorney-General's Chambers Nordin Hassan.
Nordin was involved in the Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy I trial, together with Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, and was also part of the prosecution team in the Sodomy II trial.
However, alarm bells have been raised on Nordin's supposed elevation.
This is because he is one of the AGC officers, along with Gani, named in former Commercial Crime Investigation Department head Ramli Yusuff's civil suitfor malicious prosecution.
The deputy head of prosecution in the Policy Division of the AGC, Noorin Badaruddin, is another person named as a possible judicial commissioner.
Noorin, who was the special officer to the attorney-general in 2000, was involved in the Altantuya and Sodomy II trial prosecution teams and she also led the prosecution in the late Karpal Singh's sedition charge.
The new judicial commissioners are expected to receive their letters of appointment from Chief Justice of the Federal Court Arifin Zakaria (left) tomorrow.
Vacancies in the judiciary
The website of the Judicial Appointment Commission has listed 22 vacancies in the High Court, eight in the Court of Appeal and one in the Federal Court.
The commission, which was formed in 2009 to independently appoint and promote judges, has also listed several criteria for one to be qualified to be in the judiciary, including:
Another criteria is that a judicial commissioner with three or more pending judgments or unwritten grounds of judgments that are overdue by 60 days or more from the dates these are due will not be promoted to the position of High Court judge.
The AGC will be hit hard with the loss of several experienced, senior prosecutors once the judicial commissioner appointments come through, with concerns having been raised previously over the efficient running of the chambers without sufficient senior personnel.
They include Federal Court registrar Azimah Omar, who is expected to leave her post soon to take up appointment as a judicial commissioner.
Another name bandied in the legal fraternity is lawyer Wong Kian Kheong (left), who represented political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, and who also appeared for former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik in the Port Klang Free Zone case.Wong was a deputy public prosecutor before he moved into private practice.
Others mentioned as potential judicial commissioners are Colin Sequeira, also a lawyer in private practice, and current Trial and Appeals Division head in the Attorney-General's Chambers Nordin Hassan.
Nordin was involved in the Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy I trial, together with Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, and was also part of the prosecution team in the Sodomy II trial.
However, alarm bells have been raised on Nordin's supposed elevation.
This is because he is one of the AGC officers, along with Gani, named in former Commercial Crime Investigation Department head Ramli Yusuff's civil suitfor malicious prosecution.The deputy head of prosecution in the Policy Division of the AGC, Noorin Badaruddin, is another person named as a possible judicial commissioner.
Noorin, who was the special officer to the attorney-general in 2000, was involved in the Altantuya and Sodomy II trial prosecution teams and she also led the prosecution in the late Karpal Singh's sedition charge.
The new judicial commissioners are expected to receive their letters of appointment from Chief Justice of the Federal Court Arifin Zakaria (left) tomorrow.
Vacancies in the judiciary
The website of the Judicial Appointment Commission has listed 22 vacancies in the High Court, eight in the Court of Appeal and one in the Federal Court.
The commission, which was formed in 2009 to independently appoint and promote judges, has also listed several criteria for one to be qualified to be in the judiciary, including:
- Integrity, competency and experience;
- Being objective, impartial, fair and of good moral character;
- Decisive, with ability to make timely judgments and good, legal writing skills;
- Industrious, with the ability to manage cases well; and
- Being of good physical and mental health.
Another criteria is that a judicial commissioner with three or more pending judgments or unwritten grounds of judgments that are overdue by 60 days or more from the dates these are due will not be promoted to the position of High Court judge.
The AGC will be hit hard with the loss of several experienced, senior prosecutors once the judicial commissioner appointments come through, with concerns having been raised previously over the efficient running of the chambers without sufficient senior personnel.
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