Two 1MDB trial judges elevated to Court of Appeal

 

Two Kuala Lumpur High Court judges who presided over two ongoing 1MDB-linked criminal trials have been elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Collin Lawrence Sequerah and Mohamed Zaini Mazlan took their oaths during the swearing-in ceremony at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya this afternoon.

Sequerah, 62, is hearing the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption case against Najib Abdul Razak, while Zaini, 55, is presiding over the 1MDB audit case against the former prime minister.

Both judges took their oath before Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.

Having graduated with an Honours degree in Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London in 1984, Petaling Jaya-born Sequerah started out as a lawyer before being elevated to a Judicial Commissioner at the Shah Alam High Court in 2014.

Collin Lawrence Sequerah

In October 2018, he was elevated to High Court judge at the Johor Bahru High Court, before he was transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court in November of the same year.

Johor Bahru-born Zaini, who graduated with an Honours degree in law from Nottingham Trent University in 1992, was elevated to judicial commissioner at the Shah Alam High Court in 2014.

He became Taiping High Court judge in January 2017 before he was transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court in April of the same year.

Mohamed Zaini Mazlan

Under the judicial practice, it is normal for High Court judges who were elevated to the Court of Appeal - while still hearing a criminal case - to continue to hear the said proceedings.

During the swearing-in ceremony attended by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Abang Iskandar - who used to be Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak - took his oath as the new Court of Appeal president.

Other notable supreme court appointments are Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah as Chief Judge of Malaya and Abdul Rahman Sebli as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak. Both of them used to be Federal Court judges.

The elevation ceremony also saw the swearing-in of a new Federal Court judge, six Court of Appeal judges (including Sequerah and Zaini), 11 High Court judges, and five judicial commissioners.

The other appointments are:

Federal Court judge: Nordin Hassan

Court of Appeal judges:

i) Azman Abdullah

ii) Azimah Omar

iii) Lim Chong Fong

iv) Wong Kian Kheong

High Court judges:

i) Norsharidah Awang

ii) Tee Geok Hock

iii) Zaleha Rose Pandin

iv) Alice Loke

v) Azhar Abdul Hamid

vi) Arik Sanusi Yeop Johari

vii) Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet

viii) Mahazan Mat Taib

ix) Ahmad Murad Abdul Aziz

x) Liza Chan Sow Keng

xi) Wan Muhammad Amin Wan Yahya

Judicial commissioners:

i) Zaharah Hussain

ii) Sumathi Murugiah

iii) Suzana Muhamad Said

iv) Evawani Farisyta Mohammad

v) Wendy Ooi Su Ghee

Earlier this morning at Istana Negara, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah granted the letters of appointment to the new set of judges and judicial commissioners. - Mkini