Chief Justice Richard Malanjum retires

Illustrious career: Malanjum served 27 years in the judiciary.

PUTRAJAYA: Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum has retired after serving 27 years in the judiciary.

Malanjum, the first Sabahan to hold the judiciary’s top post, served as Chief Justice for nine months and 12 years as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

He attained his constitutional retirement age of 66 years in October last year and was given a six-month extension which ends today.

“To all my fellow judges, give your best, expect nothing! As for me, I will continue to help the unfortunate and marginalised in whatever way possible,” were his parting words.

Malanjum was sworn in as the ninth Chief Justice on July 11 last year, replacing Tun Md Raus Sharif who resigned in the same month.

According to his special aide Mohd Aizuddin Zolkeply, Malanjum had taken leave earlier this week and is currently abroad.

Malanjum joined the judicial service in 1992 as a Judicial Commissioner. He eventually became a High Court Judge and was later appointed as Court of Appeal Judge and subsequently, Federal Court Judge.

Malanjum introduced a concept of a joint and group management, where the judges holding the top four posts (Chief Justice, Court of Appeal president, Chief Judge of Malaya, and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak) were given equal power and responsibility in all matters pertaining to policy and inclusion in the management of the judiciary.

He also introduced a “timesheet system” in peninsula courts – a computerised system to encourage effective management of the court’s time among judges and judiciary officers.

That system was earlier established by Malanjum in the Sabah and Sarawak courts when he was the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.

Malanjum also introduced eReview, an online case management system without the physical presence of parties in a court case for case management.

In order to avoid any allegation and negative elements in the allocation of cases and selection of a panel of judges, Malanjum introduced the selection of the panel of Federal Court judges by balloting to hear cases in the Federal Court.

He also made changes regarding the number of judges to sit on the Federal Court panel to hear constitutional cases and public interest cases. — Bernama