KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Zaki Azmi’s role in Umno will not influence his
performance in his latest position as the Court of Appeal president.
In defending Zaki’s appointment, Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said, except for being Umno’s
Disciplinary (Technical) Committee chairman and Selection Committee secretary,
the 62-year-old did not hold any other post in the party.
“He’s not an MP, assemblyman, division or even a branch head.
“The only reason we roped him in was due to his past performance and his
character, which is of a person of integrity,” he said, adding that among the
legal fraternity, Zaki is known as a “straight fellow".
He said Zaki, the son of former Lord President Tun Azmi Mohamed, should not be
punished over his role in Umno.
The Bar Council had expressed surprise over the appointment
of Zaki as it felt there were other suitable candidates in terms of seniority
and service in the judiciary.
The council was also concerned over his involvement in Umno, as well as his
short stint in the government service.
Three months ago, Zaki became the first lawyer to be directly appointed to the
Federal Court.
Regarding Zaki’s fast-track appointment, Nazri did not think there was anything
wrong with the matter.
“There is no law against the fast-track appointment of Zaki. We are not doing
something unconstitutional or illegal,” he said at parliament yesterday.
Nazri also shot down a proposal by Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar (PAS-Tumpat), who had
suggested that a select committee on the judiciary be set up to ensure the
integrity of judicial candidates before they were appointed or promoted.
“I don’t agree with the proposal as the three branches of the government —
legislative, executive and judiciary — must be independent.
“How can the appointment of judges be discussed in a committee? No way.”
He said if such committees were set up, judges would have to be very nice
towards MPs as their appointments and promotions would be heavily dependent on
them.
“There will be undue influence, so definitely, no.
“The judiciary must not only be free from the executive, but also free from
outside influences in order to function properly.”
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 023/2012: Talk on ISO 9001 | 2008 Quality Management System Certification
