Judge’s integrity must first be settled.
The Conference of Rulers has been urged to reject any nomination of a senior judge facing allegations of judicial interference, should the individual be proposed by the prime minister or the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for a senior judicial post.
Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla argued that the judge’s integrity remains in question and said the rulers should exercise their constitutional right to decline the nomination.
“When the integrity of any judge is still unresolved… can that individual be considered for any high-ranking position at this time? Surely, the matter of integrity must first be settled.
“If (the judge) is cleared of involvement in any improper conduct, then and only then can he be considered for any vacancy, but not at this time,” Haniff said in a YouTube video uploaded last night.
He warned that if the rulers, particularly the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, accept the recommendation and the judge is later found to have acted improperly, it would damage the judiciary’s credibility.
“Wouldn’t it be a severe blow to the judiciary if a judge – especially one holding the highest office – were to be found guilty of (misdeeds)?
“This is precisely why the issue here is not merely about the prime minister’s conflict of interest, but more critically about the integrity of the (potential) proposed candidate,” Haniff added.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said earlier announced that the Conference of Rulers is set to meet for its 269th session from July 15 to 17.
The JAC’s recommendations will be submitted to the prime minister, who will then forward the names to the King.