| Yang Amat Arif Tun Tan Sri Dato' Sri Zaki Azmi |
|
|---|---|
| 6th Chief Justice of Malaysia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 21 October 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Abdul Hamid Mohamed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 September 1945 Alor Setar, Kedah |
| Spouse(s) | Toh Puan Nik Sazlina Mohd Zain |
| Alma mater | Lincoln's Inn |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Tun Zaki bin Tun Azmi (born September 12, 1945 in Alor Setar[1]) is the sixth and current Chief Justice of Malaysia. He was appointed by the King on October 21, 2008 after his predecessor, Abdul Hamid Mohamed, retired from office.[2]
Zaki, who was previously a practising lawyer, was directly appointed as a Federal Court judge on September 5, 2007—a first in Malaysian judicial history. Zaki is the son of former Lord President of the Federal Court Mohamed Azmi Mohamed. He was appointed as President of the Court of Appeal in December 2007.[1]
Zaki's appointment as a Federal Court judge has been criticised by the Opposition citing his swift ascendency, presence of more senior judges, and the fact that he was a legal adviser to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the major component party in the ruling coalition, just prior to his appointment as a judge.[3]
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Early in his life, Zaki attended school in Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Setar, furthering his studies at Anderson School in Ipoh and finally in English College in Johor Bahru.
Zaki became a Barrister-at-law through Lincoln's Inn in London, served at the Attorney General's Chambers from 1969 to 1970, and later served the subordinate courts from 1970 to 1973. In 1973, Zaki returned to the Attorney General's Chambers serving as a Federal Counsel and in 1976 he became a senior Federal Counsel under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Zaki was called to the Malayan Bar in 1983 and practised as a lawyer at Shahrizat Rashid & Lee beginning 1985.[4]
Zaki also served as a legal adviser to United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), where he was the party's Disciplinary Committee Chairman and had served the party in other areas as well.[1]
On September 5, 2007, Zaki was appointed as Federal Court judge.[4] Later on December 11, 2007 he became the President of the Court of Appeal.[4] Zaki finally became Chief Justice on October 21, 2008,[2] having served little more than a year in Malaysia's superior court system.[3] His appointment as Federal Court judge as well as subsequent promotions has sparked concern by various segment of the public due to his close ties with UMNO. This concern became more apparent as he has only served the judiciary for less than 5 years in total.
Zaki began his job by announcing that he would get tough and take action against errant judges to prevent the image of the judiciary from being tarnished.[5]
On November 7, 2008 Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi made the announcement that two retired judges were suspected to be corrupt. He said he knew them personally but did not take action against them.[6]