KUALA LUMPUR (May 6): The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, today presented the instrument of appointment to the new Chief Justice, Datuk 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 Tan Sri Richard Malanjum who retired on April 12.

The ceremony was held at the Small Throne Room of the palace.

It was attended by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad; Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong; Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri 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 (KESEDAR) in 1982.

In 1984, she took up the 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 Bharu, has held several positions including as a magistrate, sessions court judge, federal counsel, senior assistant registrar and special officer to former chief justices Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.

She was appointed as the chief registrar of the Federal Court in 2005, as a 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.