KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — On July 28, Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh will be sworn in as the country’s 17th Chief Justice, succeeding Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who retired on July 2.
The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court announced the matter in a statement last night.
Hailing from Kuala Terengganu, the 62-year-old jurist was appointed to the Court of Appeal on November 12 last year.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons) from the University of West London, earned in 1985, and obtained a Certificate in Legal Practice (Hons) from Universiti Malaya in 1986. Farid began his legal career as an advocate and solicitor with Messrs Adnan and Wee in Kuala Terengganu, serving from 1987 to 2003.
Beyond his legal career, he has been active in public administration and politics. Farid served as political secretary to former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 2003 to 2008, before being appointed deputy home minister from 2008 to 2009.
He returned to legal practice between 2011 and 2015 as a partner at Messrs Wan Farid and Surin in Kuala Lumpur.
Farid began his judicial career in 2015 as a Judicial Commissioner, serving in the High Courts of Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Bharu until 2019.
He was then elevated to High Court Judge from 2019 to 2024, with postings in Kota Bharu, Shah Alam (Special Powers Division), and Kuala Lumpur (Special Powers Division 3).
In 2024, Farid played a key role in a landmark ruling involving a constitutional suit filed by lawyer Syed Iskandar Syed Jaafar Al Mahdzar, which challenged the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in declaring a state of emergency.
In his judgment, he held that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s authority to declare an emergency under Article 150 of the Federal Constitution is a prerogative power that is non-justiciable and beyond the court’s review.
Farid was also among the members of the panel of judges who heard a case involving a dispute over 263.272 acres of land dubbed ‘Duta Enclave’ involving Semantan Estate Sdn Bhd in the Federal Court.
— Bernama
