KUALA LUMPUR (June 23): With only one week to her retirement, there is still no word as to whether Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat's tenure will be extended.
"No news," the head of the Malaysian judiciary said, smiling when asked by the media on Monday (June 23).
She was greeted by the press when officiating the book launch of Law and Practice of Intellectual Property Law in Malaysia, edited by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Wong Kian Kheong and Indran Shanmuganathan, at the Asian International Arbitration Centre.
She added that similarly, there was no news on Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Abang Iskandar and Federal Court judge Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan's extensions either.
Tengku Maimun is set to retire on July 1, Abang Iskandar on July 2 and Nallini on August 22.
Article 125 (1) of the Federal Constitution states that Federal Court judges may serve until the age of 66, with a possible six-month extension approved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
All previous Chief Justices have had their tenures extended, with the exception of Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.
Tengku Maimun, who became the first female Chief Justice of the country, took helm of the judiciary in 2018. Many have called her tenure "transformative", with her independent, landmark judgements.
The Edge has previously reported that the upcoming retirements of the apex court judges would leave a significant gap in the judiciary.