Judge Zabidin moves up to Federal Court, Nazlan to Court of Appeal

 

Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah (right) and Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali at Istana Negara this morning. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Court of Appeal judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah has been elevated to the Federal Court while High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali has been promoted as Court of Appeal judge.

They received their instruments of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, at Istana Negara today, Bernama reported.

Present at the ceremony were Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf, Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.

Also present was law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Zabidin is expected to take his oath of office before Tengku Maimun, and Nazlan before Rohana at the Palace of Justice tomorrow.

Zabidin was appointed High Court judge on July 28, 2006, before being elevated to the Court of Appeal on Nov 26, 2018.

He was the trial judge who acquitted Anwar Ibrahim 10 years ago for allegedly sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his former aide.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned Anwar’s acquittal in 2014 and his five-year jail term was affirmed by the Federal Court the following year.

Anwar obtained a royal pardon in 2018.

Nazlan, who was appointed High Court judge on Jan 30, 2017, was the trial judge who convicted former prime minister Najib Razak in the RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd case two years ago.

Last year, the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction and 12-year jail term and the RM210 million fine on Najib for abuse of power and misappropriating and laundering RM42 million of SRC funds.

Najib’s appeal is pending before the Federal Court. - FMT