KUALA LUMPUR: The legal fraternity witnessed yet another historic occasion today when two former Federal Court judges were admitted as advocates and solicitors of the High Court of Malaya.
They were Azahar Mohamed, who retired as Chief Judge of Malaya last week, and Zawawi Salleh, who left office as a senior judge in the apex court three months ago.
Zawawi also briefly stood in as acting chief judge last year when Azahar was temporarily incapacitated.
Both Azahar and Zawawi were exempted from serving the prescribed nine-month pupillage period on account of their lengthy careers in the judicial and legal service and on the bench.
They were admitted and enrolled in the High Court here as practising lawyers before Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, who was once their subordinate.
Azahar’s call was moved by his lawyer son, Azmi Azahar, who also robed him later.
Born in Johor Bahru in 1956, Azahar obtained his law degree from Universiti Malaya (UM) and obtained a Masters in Law from the London School of Economics in 1987.
He joined the service in 1980, and at one time, served as head of its prosecution and civil divisions in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
He was appointed a judicial commissioner in 2004 and was made a High Court judge two years later. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2011 and went on to become a Federal Court judge in 2014. He was appointed chief judge of Malaya in 2019.
Meanwhile, former Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir moved Zawawi’s call while senior lawyer Salehuddin Saidin robed him.
Zawawi also graduated from UM and served as a magistrate, sessions court judge, senior federal counsel and state legal adviser for Selangor.
He was made a judicial commissioner in 2007 and a High Court judge in 2009. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal two years later and appointed a Federal Court judge in 2018.
Zawawi was also a member of the Legal Profession Board and the Judicial Appointments Commission.
In his speech, Attorney-General Idrus Harun called Azahar a ‘learned friend’, adding that they had known each other for 40 years dating back to their student days in UM. They also served together at the AGC and on the bench.
Idrus sat as a judge of the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court between 2014 and 2020 before being appointed to his present post.
“The numerous judgments Azahar has written reveal him as an intellectual heavyweight,” said Idrus.
He said Azahar had made a significant contribution to the local legal landscape by delivering several landmark judgments in constitutional and criminal cases as well as in civil law matters.
According to him, Zawawi revealed in his recent retirement speech that he had never planned to become either a lawyer or a judge.
He said it was a pleasure to work with him in the legal service and on the bench as he was a valuable asset to the legal world.
“He never shied away from challenging legal issues. He is also noted to deliver judgments with a sense of humour,” he added.
Bar president Karen Cheah said the former judges were legal luminaries and contributed immensely to the justice system.
“We hope their careers as lawyers are as rewarding as the high offices they held on the bench,” she said.
Wan Ahmad Farid said he found it difficult to impart words of wisdom to Azahar and Zawawi as both were far wiser and more experienced.
The judge, who was once a lawyer, however, light-heartedly advised them to learn how to manage clients as this was something not taught in law school.
“Some think they are smarter than us and advise us how to strategise their cases in the courtroom,” he said. - FMT
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