Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah today presented the instrument of appointment to the new Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat at Istana Negara.

Tengku Maimun, a former Federal Court judge and the first woman to be made the chief justice, subsequently took the oath of office.

Her appointment is effective May 2. She takes over from Richard Malanjum, who retired on April 12.

The ceremony was held at the palace's small throne room.

It was attended by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong, Chief Judge of Malaya Zaharah Ibrahim and Attorney-General Tommy Thomas.

Tengku Maimun, who will be 60 in July, is a graduate of Universiti Malaya, and began her career as the legal officer of the Kelantan Selatan Development Authority in 1982.

In 1984, she took up appointment as the legal officer at the Seremban Municipal Council for two years, before joining the Drafting Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Tengku Maimun, who was born in Kota Bahru, has held several positions including as a magistrate, Sessions Court judge, federal counsel, senior assistant registrar and special officer to former chief justices Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.

She was appointed as the chief registrar of the Federal Court in 2005, judicial commissioner in 2006, and as a High Court judge in 2007.

In 2013, she was promoted to be a judge of the Court of Appeal and, in November last year, appointed as a judge of the Federal Court.

- Bernama