KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim will be appointed as the new Chief Judge of Malaya (CJM), the third-highest position in the judicial hierarchy, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source said that Hasnah will receive her instrument of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara on Tuesday morning, and will later be sworn-in at the Palace of Justice in the afternoon.
The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia has sent out formal invitations to the media to attend the swearing-in ceremony at the Palace of Justice at 3pm on Tuesday. However, the office did not confirm Hasnah's appointment.
Hasnah will be the third female CJM in history, after Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob (2005) and Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim (2018). The post has been left vacant for about nine months now, after the previous CJM, Tan Sri Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, who was appointed to the post on Jan 17, 2023, went on mandatory retirement on Feb 29, 2024.
Hasnah was appointed as a judicial commissioner in 2010, and elevated as a High Court judge on April 4, 2012. She was later elevated as a Court of Appeal judge on March 21, 2016, and further as a Federal Court judge on Dec 5, 2019.
She is currently the third in terms of seniority at the Federal Court, after judges Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan and Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof.
However, it is worth noting that Hasnah, 65, may only be able to hold the position for one year, as judges face constitutionally compulsory retirement at the age of 66, and their tenure can be extended only for another six months, as stipulated under Article 125(1) of the Federal Constitution.
The Malaysian Bar Council had previously raised concerns over the delay in the appointment of a new CJM, saying it should be expedited to ensure effective administration of justice and continued public confidence in the country's legal system.
Rumours were rife that the appointing authorities were mulling the idea of appointing an "outsider" as a Federal Court judge, with the possibility of later assuming the role of the CJM. One such candidate is current Attorney General Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, who is scheduled to be sworn in as a Federal Court judge at the same ceremony on Tuesday.
In response, nine former Malaysian Bar presidents came out with a statement in July to oppose the idea, and called for the CJM to be appointed from within the judiciary.