Veteran lawyer Gopal Sri Ram passes away at 79

PETALING JAYA: Renowned senior lawyer and former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram passed away at the age of 79 on Sunday (Jan 29).

Sri Ram, as he was well known, had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (Jan 18) for a lung infection.

He was called to the Malaysian Bar in May 1970 and practised law until his elevation to the Court of Appeal in September 1994. He was the first practitioner in Malaysia to be elevated directly to an appellate court.

Sri Ram was an Appeal Court judge for 15 years before being promoted to the Federal Court and was well known for his judgements on public interest cases. He retired from the judiciary in 2010 and returned to practice thereafter. He was also an Honorary Bencher of Lincoln's Inn.

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At the time of his passing, he was leading the prosecution as senior deputy public prosecutor in the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore trial involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He was still the lead prosecutor for the RM1.25bil solar hybrid project corruption case involving Najib's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor when he passed away.

The defence in both cases have tried to remove him many times from leading the prosecution teams but failed.