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The chief justice of Malaysia (Malay: Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia; Jawi: كتوا حاكيم نڬارا مليسيا), also known as the chief justice of the Federal Court, is the office and title of the head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 1994, and prior to this it was known as the lord president of the Federal Court. The chief justice is the head of the Federal Court, the apex court of Malaysia. It is the highest position in Malaysian judicial system followed by the president of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia, chief judge of Malaya, and the chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak.[3]
| Chief Justice of Malaysia | |
|---|---|
| Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia كتوا حاكيم نڬارا مليسيا | |
 | |
| Federal Court of Malaysia | |
| Style | Yang Amat Arif[1] The Right Honorable[1] Her Ladyship[1] |
| Member of | Federal Court of Malaysia |
| Seat | Palace of Justice, Putrajaya |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Malaysia |
| Appointer | Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the recommendation and advice of the Prime Minister |
| Term length | mandatory retirement age at 65 or 66 (at request for minimal extension) |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Malaysia |
| Inaugural holder | James Thompson as Chief Justice of the Federation of Malaya (1957) |
| Deputy | President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia |
| Salary | RM36,000 monthly[2] |
| Website | www |
The current chief justice is Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, since 2 May 2019.
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The office of chief justice of the Federal Court is established under Article 122 of the Constitution of Malaysia, which establishes the then-Supreme Court (now Federal Court) as consisting of a lord president (now chief justice), the chief judges of the High Courts and at least four other judges and such additional judges as may be appointed pursuant to Clause (1A).[4]
The chief justice is first among equals among the judges of the Federal Court, and the position differs little from that of the other judges. All judges, including the chief justice, are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), on the advice of the prime minister of Malaysia. Under Article 125 of the Malaysian Constitution, they can be removed only by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, on a recommendation from a tribunal consisting of at least five judges who are current or former Federal Court judges.[5][4] Reasons for removal include the chief justice:
- not following the Judges’ Code of Ethics; or
- being physically or mentally unable to carry out his or her duties.
The prime minister will then provide the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the reason(s) why the chief justice should be removed. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong will then proceed to set up the tribunal to make a decision.[5]
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As of 7 December 2024 a total of 10 chief justices were appointed, listed below :[6][7][8][9][10][11]
| # | Potrait | Chief Justice | Term of office | Prior senior judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Tun Abdul Hamid Omar (1929–2009) |
10 November 1988 | 24 September 1994 | 5 years and 319 days | ||
| 2 | Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin (b.1936) |
25 September 1994 | 19 December 2000 | 6 years and 86 days | Chief Judge of Malaya (1994) | |
| 3 | Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah (1938–2024) |
20 December 2000 | 14 March 2003 | 2 years and 85 days | ||
| 4 | Tun Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim (b.1941) |
16 March 2003 | 31 October 2007 | 4 years and 230 days | Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1989-1995) | |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (1995-2000) | ||||||
| Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2000-2001) | ||||||
| Chief Judge of Malaya (2001–2002) | ||||||
| President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2002-2003) | ||||||
| 5 | Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad (b.1943) |
2 November 2007 | 18 October 2008 | 352 days | President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2007) | |
| 6 | Tun Zaki Azmi (b.1945) |
18 October 2008 | 9 September 2011 | 2 years and 327 days | Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2007) | |
| President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2007–2008) | ||||||
| 7 | Tun Arifin Zakaria (b.1950) |
12 September 2011 | 31 March 2017 | 5 years and 201 days | Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1994-2002) | |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2002-2005) | ||||||
| Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2005-2008) | ||||||
| Chief Judge of Malaya (2008–2011) | ||||||
| 8 | Tun Mohamed Raus Sharif (b.1951) |
1 April 2017 | 10 July 2018 | 1 year and 101 days | Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (1996-2006) | |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2006-2011) | ||||||
| President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2011–2017) | ||||||
| 9 | Tun Richard Malanjum (b.1952) |
11 July 2018 | 12 April 2019 | 276 days | Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (2004-2006) | |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2002-2005) | ||||||
| Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2005-2006) | ||||||
| Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak (2006–2018) | ||||||
| 10 |  |
Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat (b.1959) |
2 May 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years and 220 days | Judge of the High Court of Malaysia (2007-2013) |
| Judge of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (2013-2018) | ||||||
| Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia (2018-2019) | ||||||
Living former chief justices
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Eusoff Chin | 1994–2000 | 10 May 1936 (age 88) |
| Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim | 2003–2007 | 1 November 1941 (age 83) |
| Abdul Hamid Mohamad | 2007–2008 | 18 April 1943 (age 81) |
| Zaki Azmi | 2008–2011 | 12 September 1945 (age 79) |
| Arifin Zakaria | 2011–2017 | 1 October 1950 (age 74) |
| Mohamed Raus Sharif | 2017–2018 | 4 February 1951 (age 73) |
| Richard Malanjum | 2018–2019 | 13 October 1952 (age 72) |
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