The 2025 Malaysian judicial appointment controversy was a controversy surrounding the appointment of a new Chief Justice of Malaysia and a new President of the Court of Appeal, following the mandatory retirement of Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim respectively in early July 2025.
The controversy also centred around a leaked meeting minute purportedly to be originated from the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), which alleged that Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, former Attorney General of Malaysia and a sitting Federal Court judge since November 2024, had interfered in judicial matters and lacks qualification to be appointed as the Chief Judge of the High Court in Malaya.
Under the Malaysian Constitution, chief justice is appointed by the King on the advice of the prime minister, after His Majesty consulted with the Conference of Rulers. For positions other than chief justice, the prime minister is also required to consult with the chief justice or other senior judges in advance before tendering his advice to the King. Additionally, in order to be qualified for appointment as a judge to the High Court, Court of Appeal or Federal Court, one must be a Malaysian citizen and has at least 10 years legal experience.
In 2009, following the 2007 VK Lingam tape scandal, the JAC was established under the Judicial Appointments Commission Act [Act 695] to select, assess, screen and recommend potential candidates that will be appointed to the three superior courts. JAC's recommended candidates were then submitted to the prime minister for his consideration, before he tender his advice to the King. However, JAC's recommendations are not legally binding on the prime minister or the King, who have the final say on judicial appointments.
The controversy is generally considered to has ended in late July 2025, with the appointments of Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as the new Chief Justice; Abu Bakar Jais as the new President of Court of Appeal; Azizah Nawawi as the new Chief Judge of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak; and other new Court of Appeal judges and High Court judges. Meanwhile, Ahmad Terrirudin was not elevated to any higher position as previously speculated.
Background
Terrirudin's rise to federal judge
As early as June 2024, rumours of attorney general Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh will be appointed to the post of Federal Court judge and eventually the Chief Judge of Malaya began circulating. Several lawyers and one government backbencher, Ramkarpal Singh, have expressed concerns over Terrirudin's possible appointment as Chief Judge of Malaya, despite there are federal judges who are more senior and more qualifying than Terrirudin.
On 1 August 2024, MalaysiaNow reported that, according to its "reliable sources", Terrirudin was not among those recommended by chief justice Tengku Maimun to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to be appointed as Chief Judge of Malaya.
On 12 November 2024, however, Terrirudin was appointed as a Federal Court judge, while Hasnah Mohammed Hashim was appointed to the post of Chief Judge of Malaya instead.
Tengku Maimun's speech in Malta On 4 April 2025, Tengku Maimun as the sitting Chief Justice of Malaysia, attended the 24th Commonwealth Law Conference held in Malta and delivered a speech titled "Judicial Independence and Parliamentary Sovereignty - A Colossi of Roads?". In the speech, she outlined the history of judicial independence in Malaysia and how the 1988 constitutional crisis has affected public confidence towards Malaysia's judiciary. She also emphasised that neither the legislature or judiciary is supreme as only the constitution reign supreme in Malaysia, and it is the judiciary's duty to upheld the constitution. At one point of her speech, she advocated for the removal of prime minister's involvement in judges' appointment so that the appointment process will be free from perception of political influence.
One politician, Nazri Aziz, would later claimed this speech caused her to not be given a 6-month extension on her Chief Justice position when she reached her mandatory retirement age on 2 July 2025.
JAC meeting (May 2025) On 13 June 2025, MalaysiaNow reported that Terrirudin Salleh is one of two candidates being considered by the JAC for nomination as the new Chief Judge of Malaya, a post which is usually a stepping stone to become the chief justice. Another candidate that is being considered is Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, who has been serving as a judge in various courts in 2010 and has written over 30 pieces grounds of judgement. Sources told the news portal that Vazeer Alam is most likely to be nominated as his seniority and experience superseded that of Terrirudin, who has only produced one written judgement so far.
On 24 June 2025, a police report allegedly made by the staff of an unnamed senior judge was leaked through WhatsApp. The police report was made after the said judge was contacted by MalaysiaKini on 12 June for his comment over certain allegations levelled against him during "an important meeting". Two MalaysiaKini journalists were later questioned by the police.
On the same day, Free Malaysia Today reported that according to its source and the leaked police report, the senior judge was summoned for questioning before a JAC meeting held on 16 May over allegations of interference in judicial appointments, which resulted in a heated discussion and a split within the JAC. CNA later confirmed the senior judge in question is Terrirudin Salleh.
Judicial vacancies
On 2 July 2025, Tengku Maimun officially retired from the post of Chief Justice of Malaysia as she reached her mandatory retirement age of 66 and was not granted a six months extension. Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim also similarly retired from the post of President of the Court of Appeal a day later with no extension of tenure given. Abdul Rahman Sebli who is holding the position of Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak is also set to retire on 25 July, after his six-month extension expires.
On 3 July, Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Mohammed Hashim assumed the position of chief justice in acting capacity, while federal judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof was appointed as the acting president of the Court of Appeal. However, both Hasnah and Zabariah are also set to retire on 15 November and 10 October this year respectively, after their six-month extension ends.
Several other Federal Court judges are set to retire in the upcoming months as well. Nallini Pathmanathan, who was not offered a six-month extension, will retire on 22 August; while Hanipah Farikullah will retire on 22 November after her six-month extension lapses.
According to former economy minister and PKR member Rafizi Ramli, if no new judges were appointed to fill the vacancies, the retirement of the seven aforementioned judges will result in more than half of the Federal Court bench left vacant by the end of 2025. Other than that, as of 14 July 2025, there are over 30 benches remained vacant in the superior courts, 24 of which are in the High Court, 3 in the Court of Appeal, and 2 in the Federal Court.
Criticism Critics consisting of lawyers and politicians have condemned the government, particularly prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, for not granting an extension to the two top judges, despite concerns have been raised over the upcoming vacancies weeks prior to their retirement.
Among the concerns raised are disruption in ongoing high-profile cases and loss of public confidence in judicial independence. Malaysian Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab has described the government's silence and indecision as "indefensible", while Rafizi Ramli implied there may be plan to bypass the existing seniority hierarchy among the judges and appoint Terrirudin Salleh to the top judicial position. Kuala Lumpur Bar also estimated there are approximately 20% judicial vacancy in Kuala Lumpur High Court alone, which have resulted in cases being stalled or have trials being pushed into 2027 and beyond.
In response, Anwar Ibrahim on 30 June stated that he never interfere the judiciary and the issues has been politicised. He reiterated that service extension is not automatically granted and there are constitutional procedures that must be followed when appointing a judge to the superior court.
Rafizi's press conference On 7 July, Rafizi Ramli together with eight other PKR backbenchers held a press conference and issued a joint statement, which criticised the government for not acting swiftly to appoint new judges based on the recommendations submmited by the JAC, leading to vacancies in the top courts. They also questioned the validity of an urgent JAC meeting held by acting chief justice Hasnah Mohammed Hashim on 4 July, as it was called without a 10-day prior notice, a requirement under the JAC Act. The group also brought up the issue of a police report which allegedly shown a federal judge was questioned over allegations of judicial interference, drawing comparisons with the VK Lingam tape scandal.
Therefore, the nine persons group called for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to be set up to investigate the matter. They also requested for the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform to conduct investigative proceedings over the matter, including summoning prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to testify. The group also announced they will launch nationwide forums and online petition to garner public support for their demands.
Among the eight other PKR MPs who signed the joint statement are Nik Nazmi, Wong Chen, Rodziah Ismail, Zahir Hassan, Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, S Kesavan and Onn Abu Bakar, however S Kesavan and Onn Abu Bakar were not present during the press conference.
On the next day, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) refuted the nine MPs' accusation of delays and irregularities in judicial appointment process. It clarified that JAC meeting can be held with short notice under urgency if all members agreed to it. AGC also stated that the allegations of judicial interference raised by the group are "premature and purely speculative" and the comparisons with the VK Lingam tape scandal were "unwarranted". In response, Rafizi claimed the AGC's statement further confirmed their concerns.
The press conference held by the nine PKR MPs was also commended by DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok on 7 July, who echoed similar demands with the group and urged prime minister Anwar to convene a briefing for all government MPs over the matter.
On 11 July, 19 PKR divisions in Johor called for the suspension of the nine lawmakers, citing breach of party discipline and ethics, as well as portraying Anwar's administration in bad light and allowing potential manipulation by the opposition. Rafizi in respond said suspension would not solve any issues and they will continue to voice their concerns.
JAC meeting minute leak On 12 July, an incomplete document alleged to be the minute of a JAC meeting held on 16 May 2025 was leaked on Reddit. In the meeting, the JAC was purportedly deliberating on the candidates to be recommended to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim for him to appoint a new Chief Judge of the High Court in Malaya.
Tengku Maimun, as the chairman of the commission, suggested Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera to be the candidate; while Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, the incumbent Chief Judge of Malaya, suggested Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh as the candidate.