Last lord president Salleh Abas dies

 

Former and last lord president Mohamed Salleh Abas passed away at 92 today.

According to Kosmo!, Salleh died while under intensive care at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu at 3.20am.

Two days ago, Bernama reported that Salleh tested positive for Covid-19 and was receiving treatment.

According to Bernama, Salleh's daughter Natlrah said her father passed away due to pneumonia at 3.20am.

"He will be buried at the Sheikh Ibrahim Islamic Cemetery in Jalan Pusara, Kuala Terengganu," she said.

Meanwhile, Terengganu health director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus confirmed the matter.

"He died at the intensive care unit of Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital," he said.

Salleh was a former public prosecutor and eventually became the country's top judge from 1984 and 1988 as lord president.

In the later part of 1988, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad abolished the position of lord president and replaced it with the current title of chief justice.

Salleh was removed from his position by means of a tribunal not long after Umno was declared illegal by the courts in that same year.

As a public prosecutor, Salleh is known for having successfully prosecuted Sultan Iskandar Ismail in 1973 when the latter was the crown prince.

Salleh forayed into politics as well. In 1995, as a Semangat 46 candidate, he ran for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, losing to Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

In 1999, Salleh succeeded in winning the Jertih legislative assembly seat as a PAS candidate.

Salleh hails from Besut, Terengganu.  - Mkini