Cover Photo: The Star/YouTube
Photo: The Star/YouTube
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A closer look at the Chief Justice who chaired the five-member Federal Court bench that upheld Najib Razak's guilty conviction
Tengku Maimun is the first female to be appointed to the apex court's highest office
Kelantan-born Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat made headlines in 2019 when she became the first female Chief Justice in Malaysia, the highest office in the country's judiciary. On August 23, 2022, the stalwart chief judge was yet again propelled into the limelight when the Federal Court upheld former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conviction and sentence to 12 years' imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million.
Tengku Maimun led the five-member court panel comprising Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Mary Lim, Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Diah and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who made the unanimous decision affirming Najib's guilt of charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in the SRC International corruption case.
Above Photo: Courtesy of The Federal Court of Malaysia
Photo: Courtesy of The Federal Court of Malaysia
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She was the second youngest among her fellow Federal Court judges
Graduated with honours from Universiti Malaya, Tengku Maimun began her career as a legal officer with the Southern Kelantan Development Board in 1982 and later at the Municipal Council of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
In 2013, Tengku Maimun became a Court of Appeal judge before rising to become a Federal Court judge in November 2018. She was part of the seven-member bench that unanimously decided to enable Najib Razak’s first 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption trial.
Although Tengku Maimun was 59 years old when she was appointed Chief Justice in 2019, she was considered junior to many of her colleagues. She remained unfazed by it, saying that neither age nor gender mattered as much as the weighty responsibility placed upon her shoulders in her new role.
Above Photo: Buletin TV3/YouTube
Photo: Buletin TV3/YouTube
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Death threats were made against her
Due to the high profile nature of this Federal Court case, Tengku Maimun has been the target of a number of death threats after the news broke of her decision not to allow Najib’s defence lawyers more time for his final appeal hearing at the Federal Court.
On August 16, 2022, Najib’s lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik requested a postponement of three to four months to allow more time for the defence to work on its case. The request was rejected by the Federal Court, with Tengku Maimun famously saying: “While the appellant [Najib Razak] is entitled to his right to change his counsel, he is not entitled to make this choice at the expense of the Court, the prosecution or the entire justice system.”
Above Tengku Maimun at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya for the launch of the Malaysian Judiciary’s inaugural Jelajah Kehakiman initiative (Photo: The Malaysian Bar/Facebook)
Tengku Maimun at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya for the launch of the Malaysian Judiciary’s inaugural Jelajah Kehakiman initiative (Photo: The Malaysian Bar/Facebook)
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A move was made to recuse her from presiding over Najib's case
On August 23, 2022, the former Malaysian prime minister’s legal team applied to recuse Tengku Maimun from presiding over his case due to information they had received about a 2018 Facebook post made by her husband, Datuk Zamani Ibrahim, regarding Najib’s defeat in the 14th general elections. Claiming that the social media post was “disturbing”, Najib expressed concerns that the Chief Justice would be “unconsciously influenced” by her husband in the case against him. Najib’s motion for her to be recused, which came under attack from netizens, politicians and lawyers for its sexist undertones, was rejected by the five-member panel of judges.
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
