Openness urged on appointment of judges in Malaysia

Human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) is calling for the introduction of transparency in the appointment and promotion of judges.

Concerns over judges' promotions urge transparency in Malaysian courts Perfect Illusion

At the moment, says LFL co-founder Eric Paulson, there is no genuine transparency. He told The Malaysian Insider: 'One of the easiest indicators to promote judges is to look at their seniority but this has not always been the case. There have been quite a number of junior judges promoted faster than their seniors.' He gave the example of the current Chief Justice, Tun Zaki Ahmad, as a case in point. 

Sense of unease

He continued: ' Zaki's swift ascendancy was not transparent and definitely not based on any particular criteria. There were more senior judges than Zaki when he was promoted to the Federal Court. Little over a year following his appointment to the Federal Court, Zaki was appointed as the Chief Justice. He was not well known prior to his Federal Court appointment so it created a sense of unease.' Source: The Malaysian Insider

Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]

Top