Wan Ahmad Farid appointed chief justice, oath taking ceremony on July 28

Court of Appeal Judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh has been appointed the new chief justice of Malaysia, succeeding Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who retired on July 2.

The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court announced that the appointment was made pursuant to Clause (1) of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution. His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong gave his royal assent following the advice of the prime minister and consultation with the Conference of Rulers.

The statement, issued at midnight, also confirmed two other senior judicial appointments: Federal Court Judge Abu Bakar Jais as the new president of the Court of Appeal, and Court of Appeal Judge Azizah Nawawi as the chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak.

“The letter of appointment ceremony and the oath-taking ceremony, including the oath of office and oath of allegiance before His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, will be held on July 28 at Istana Negara,” read the statement.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that speculation was mounting that Wan Ahmad Farid, 62, was among the frontrunners for the post of chief justice.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, several legal sources described him as a fair and impartial judge.

Before his judicial career, Wan Ahmad Farid served as deputy home minister from March 2008 to April 2009 under the administration of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He was also the Kuala Terengganu Umno chief in 2008.

Wan Ahmad Farid was picked to contest in the Kuala Terengganu by-election in 2009, when Najib Razak was then prime minister.

In 2015, he was appointed as judicial commissioner, and later served as a High Court judge from 2019 until 2024.

Among his notable rulings was recusing himself from hearing an application to allow a Queen’s Counsel (QC) from the UK to represent former premier Najib Abdul Razak in the appeal over the RM42 million SRC International corruption case. Wan Ahmad Farid cited a conflict of interest, noting that a family member was affiliated with Najib’s political party.

On May 11, 2023, he ruled that the children of single mother Loh Siew Hong were lawfully converted to Islam under Perlis state law, citing an affidavit from the state Islamic authorities confirming the children had recited the Kalimah Shahadah (Islamic declaration of faith) in 2020.

In another significant ruling in November 2023, he ordered the police to complete their investigation into Teoh Beng Hock’s 2009 death within six months, deeming the delay in the probe as excessive. The decision followed his ruling in favour of the Teoh family’s judicial review.

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