KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, presented the instrument of appointment to Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as Chief Justice at Istana Negara here.
Wan Ahmad Farid, 62, also took the oath of office and loyalty during the ceremony, which was held at the Small Throne Room of the palace yesterday.
Wan Ahmad Farid, previously a Court of Appeal judge, was also given the instrument of appointment as a Federal Court judge.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, as well as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
His Majesty also presented instruments of appointment to Datuk Abu Bakar Jais as Court of Appeal president and Datuk Azizah Nawawi as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, followed by the appointment of eight Court of Appeal judges and 14 High Court judges, Bernama reported.
Wan Ahmad Farid was appointed the 17th Chief Justice, succeeding Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who retired on July 2.
The appointment was made in line with Clause (1) of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, with His Majesty’s consent on the advice of the Prime Minister and after consultation with the Conference of Rulers.
Abu Bakar, 63, meanwhile, is filling the vacancy of Court of Appeal President following the retirement of Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim on July 3, while Azizah, 63, replaces Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Sebli, who retired on July 24.
Wan Ahmad Farid holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of West London and obtained a Certificate in Legal Practice from Universiti Malaya in 1986.
He began his legal career as an advocate and solicitor with Messrs Adnan & Wee in Kuala Terengganu, from 1987 to 2003.
Beyond his legal career, Wan Ahmad Farid had been active in public administration and politics, having served as political secretary to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 2003 to 2008, before being appointed deputy home minister from 2008 to 2009.
He returned to legal practice between 2011 and 2015 as a partner at Messrs Wan Farid & Surin in Kuala Lumpur before being appointed as a Judicial Commissioner, serving in the High Courts of Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Baru until 2019.
He was then elevated to High Court judge from 2019 to 2024, with postings in Kota Baru, Shah Alam (Special Powers Division) and Kuala Lumpur (Special Powers Division 3).
