PUTRAJAYA: Court of Appeal president Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohamad has been made
acting Chief Justice.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who announced this, said Tun Ahmad Fairuz
Abdul Halim has retired from the top judicial post after his four-year tenure
ended on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said that Abdul Hamid, 65, would be acting while waiting for
the post to be officially filled.
“I would like to thank Tun Ahmad Fairuz for his tremendous and excellent
contributions to the judiciary and country. I hope he will be able to continue
contributing to the country in whatever way possible,'' he told a press
conference after chairing the 104th Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers meeting
here yesterday.
Asked how long it would be before the post was formally filled, Abdullah said
the necessary action would be taken soon.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office announced the appointment of Abdul
Hamid and the retirement of Ahmad Fairuz.
It explained that according to the provisions of the Courts of Judicature Act
1964, the top judicial post vacancy could be filled by the Court of Appeal
president until a new Chief Justice was appointed.
Abdul Hamid, 63, joined the judicial and legal service as a magistrate in Kangar
in 1969.
He has held various positions, including Kuala Kubu Baru Sessions Court
president, Kedah/Perlis Legal Aid Bureau assistant director, deputy registrar of
the High Court of Malaya and legal adviser of Kelantan and Perak.
He was appointed judicial commissioner in 1990 and promoted to High Court judge
in 1992.
In 2000, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal and three years later appointed
a Federal Court judge.
In April this year, he was appointed a judge to the Special Court set up to hear
cases involving Rulers and royal family members.
Following the death of Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Abdul Malek Ahmad on
May 31, Abdul Hamid was picked to fill the vacancy on Sept 5.
Ahmad Fairuz reportedly had his statement recorded by the Anti-Corruption Agency
investigating the video clip controversy, showing a senior lawyer allegedly
brokering the appointment of judges.
Bar Council chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan described Abdul Hamid's appointment as
appropriate.
“However, we hope that the Chief Justice position is filled soon,” she added.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Talk on Intellectual Property Law (10 Feb 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, the talk on “Intellectual Property Law” will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 10 Feb 2012 (Friday). The talk will feature Bahari Yeow Tien Hong. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings (21 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, the seminar on “The Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings”, featuring Sanjeev Kumar Rasiah, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 21 Feb 2012 (Tuesday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Conveyancing (24 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar featuring Jeremiah R Gurusamy will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 24 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Mediation Skills Training Course (29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012) Organised by Bar Council, the Mediation Skills Training Course will take place at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday). Deadline for registration and payment is 17 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on “Land Fraud: An Australian Perspective” (13 Mar 2012) Organised by IGIL, GSGSG and UUM COLGIS, this free talk featuring Quintin George Rozario of Delta Law, Brisbane, Australia, will take place at 9:00 am, at Dewan Seminar A, Pusat Konvensyen, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, on 13 Mar 2012 (Tuesday). To RSVP, contact Mr Abutt (04-928 4397; abutt@uum.edu.my).
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Circular No 021/2012: Application to State Authority for Consent to Transfer Properties
