Agong consents to appointment of ex-judge as new MACC chief

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has consented to the appointment of former judge Abdul Halim Aman as the new MACC chief commissioner.

In a statement today, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the appointment will be effective on May 13.

“The government is confident that with (Abdul Halim’s) extensive experience and high integrity, he will be able to strengthen governance empowerment efforts, increase public confidence, and intensify the anti-corruption agenda for the sake of the country,” Shamsul said.

The decision comes after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday presented a proposal for the appointment of a new top anti-graft officer to the king.

Halim’s rise

Halim was born on March 10, 1957, in Kampung Alai, Malacca, and obtained his law degree from Universiti Malaya in 1982. He later earned his master’s degree in law from the University of Hull, United Kingdom, in 1996.

According to his background in the Malaysia Judiciary Yearbook 2023, he began his career in the Judicial and Legal Service in 1982, serving in various capacities over a period of 22 years.

These included appointments as federal counsel at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, magistrate in Kluang and Muar, senior assistant registrar at the Malacca High Court, and Sessions Court judge in several states.

He also served as senior federal counsel with the Inland Revenue Board, Pahang state legal adviser, and head of the research division in the Chief Justice’s Office.

Halim was elevated to the High Court in 2007 and served as the High Court judge in Shah Alam, until his mandatory retirement at 66, in March 2023.

According to the New Straits Times, among the notable cases he presided over was the 2015 murder trial involving a TV9 administrator, in which he acquitted the accused after finding that the prosecution’s investigation and forensic evidence were insufficient.

In 2019, he sentenced three individuals to death in the Klang “body-less” murder case.

In the same year, he dismissed an appeal at the High Court by preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin in a sedition case involving comments about the Selangor ruler and increased the sentence to one year’s imprisonment, citing the Rukun Negara principle of loyalty to the ruler.

In 2021, he sentenced a man to death for the murder of an 11-month-old known as Baby Zara, a case that deeply shocked the nation.

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