In no rush to judge: Malaysia’s rulers leave out naming new justices

Prolonged leadership vacuum in the judiciary could damage public trust in Malaysia’s legal system, experts warn

Malaysia’s rulers ended a key meeting on Wednesday without naming new senior judges, prolonging a leadership vacuum at the top of the judiciary that experts warned could damage public trust in the country’s legal system.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier said the country’s rulers were expected to make a “clear announcement” on the appointment of a new chief justice on Wednesday, after mounting public criticism over alleged executive interference in the selection of judges.

“The issue regarding appointments was discussed in the meeting,” read a statement released by the national palace on Wednesday after the Conference of Rulers concluded the second day of its three-day meeting.

The discussion covered appointments of the chief justice, president of the court of appeal, chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak and senior judges at the federal, appellate and high courts, the statement added.

The national palace did not indicate if any decisions were made.

The Conference of Rulers is a gathering of the country’s nine royal houses, which typically meet three times a year to discuss current affairs and issues of public interest.

Judicial appointments are made by the king on the advice of the prime minister and after consultation with the Conference of Rulers.

Nearly 1,000 lawyers marched on the prime minister’s office on Monday to protest against alleged political meddling in the appointment of the country’s top judges and claims of misconduct by a senior judge raised in a batch of confidential documents leaked on social media over the weekend.

Anwar on Tuesday denied that the names of “certain candidates” with questionable qualifications were submitted to the king for his consideration.

“I hope … when the announcement is made, it will prove that the Madani government is committed to reforms, including upholding the principle of judicial independence,” he said, using his tagline which means “civilisation” in Malay.

The judicial crisis stemmed from the government’s delay in naming successors to chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, both of whom retired at the start of the month with no offers to extend their tenures despite the lack of candidates in line to fill in the vacancies.

Critics, including Malaysia’s legal fraternity and even Anwar’s own allies, also demanded an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct by a senior judge outlined in a batch of classified minutes – believed to be from a Judicial Appointments Commission meeting in May and leaked online on Saturday.

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The allegations centre on Terrirudin Salleh, a federal court judge who is rumoured to be the front runner for the top job.

Terrirudin had allegedly pressured Maimun to rule in favour of certain parties in an unspecified case and pushed for the reappointment of judges linked to ongoing trials, according to earlier reports.

Terrirudin’s former office, the Attorney General’s Chambers, has dismissed the claims as “speculation”.