Govt, apex court to study reviving judges’ training academy plan, says Azalina

 

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said no funds had been allocated for an academy to train judges.

PETALING JAYA: The unity government will jointly study with the Federal Court chief registrar’s office the revival of a plan to establish an independent judicial academy to cater to the training needs of superior court judges, said law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.

In a reply to M Kula Segaran (PH-Ipoh Barat) in Parliament, Azalina said the proposal to establish the academy was deferred by the previous government on grounds that the project was not urgent.

“As such, no funds had been allocated,” she said.

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Kula had asked the government to state the cost involved and the allocation approved so far.

At the opening of the legal year early this year, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat had urged the new government to expedite the setting up of the academy in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.

Last year, the top judge announced that the previous government had approved 10.12ha alongside an existing magistrates’ court for the academy.

However, when the final decision was communicated to the registrar’s office, an unidentified civil servant had said judges should go to the judicial and legal service officers’ training institute instead because of cost issues.

“As a matter of principle, judges should not be going there. Judges are not government officers,” Tengku Maimun had said.

She said judges in the past had never attended any course at this institute located in Bandar Baru Bangi, adding that the person who issued the statement lacked an understanding of the law and procedures. - FMT