Former Appeals Court judge Mokhtar Sidin passes away

PETALING JAYA: Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mokhtar Sidin has passed away at the age of 75.

Mokhtar, who served as a judge for the Court of Appeal for 11 years (1996-2007), was well-known for presiding over important cases, among them the Mona Fandey murder case.

Mona Fandey, her husband Mohd Affandi Abdul Rahman and assistant Juraimi Hussin were tried for the murder of Pahang assemblyman Datuk Mazlan Idris in that case.

Mokhtar was also known for striking out political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda’s bail appeal and presiding over the defamation case brought by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan in the High Court.

“He was a man of few words and very strict on the bench, and had a no-nonsense attitude,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin about the judge, who had been retired for some 10 years.

“Mokhtar was a very supportive colleague and very good to work with,” added his former colleague, lawyer and former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram.

The Association of Judicial and Legal Services Officers (Jalsoa) reported that at the time of his death on Sunday morning, Mokhtar was at his home in Jalan Gurney 2, Kuala Lumpur.

He was buried later in the evening.