Sarawak lawyer challenges ex-top judges’ admission to practise law

 

The Kuching High Court had allowed former chief justice Richard Malanjum and former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak David Wong to be admitted to the Sarawak bar.

PUTRAJAYA: A Sarawakian lawyer has gone to the Federal Court to challenge the admission of two former top judges to practise law in the state.

The two are former chief justice Richard Malanjum and former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak David Wong.

Lawyer Voon Lee Shan claimed that under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), non-Sarawakian lawyers were restricted from practising law in Sarawak unless they could meet the requirements under the Sarawak Advocates Ordinance 1953.

Leslie Ling, appearing for Malanjum and Wong, said Voon had filed his leave application before the Federal Court to challenge the lower court’s decision.

The court fixed April 11 for mention.

The Court of Appeal last month affirmed the Kuching High Court’s ruling to dismiss Voon’s applications to intervene in Malanjum and Wong’s petitions to practise law, adding that Voon has no legal standing to object to the admission.

It also upheld the former judges’ admissions to practise law.

Malanjum was admitted to the Sarawak bar on Sept 15, 2020, and Wong on Feb 2, 2021.

Malanjum was born in Tuaran, Sabah, and served as chief justice from July 2018 to April 2019. Wong was born in Sandakan, Sabah, and became chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak from July 2018 to Feb 2020. - FMT