AG/PP Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, about 56 years old, has been prematurely removed before his RETIREMENT Age. WHY? It is important that the Attorney General/Public Prosecutor be Independent - and that independence must be guaranteed by a security of tenure. In short, he should not be removed before his retirement age of 60.
Odd, that some media report said that Terrirudin was RETIRING - odd, since he was just 56. I thought RETIREMENT AGE was 60.
Ahmad Terrirudin, 56, was appointed as the AG on Sept 6 last year, succeeding Tan Sri Idrus Harun, whose contractual appointment ended on Sept 5.
The question is WHY was AG/PP Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh removed by the Prime Minister?
The Attorney General is appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister - Art.145 (1) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoint a person who is qualified to be a judge of the Federal Court to be the Attorney General for the Federation.
A Federal Court Judge too according to Art 122B (1) The Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the President of the Court of Appeal and the Chief Judges of the High Courts and (subject to Article 122C) the other judges of the Federal Court, of the Court of Appeal and of the High Courts shall be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, after consulting the Conference of Rulers.
The King just appoints on the advice of the Prime Minister....hence, all the power of the Prime Minister.
SO, the question is why was AG/PP Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh removed by the PM? A previous AG/PP that was prematurely removed allegedly because he was going to charge Najib on the 1MDB cases.
Was AG/PP Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh removed because he was going to re-charge Zahid Hamidi for the 47 Charges? Was he going to charge PM or some Ministers? Ouestions that are relevant - why was he removed so soon?
ODD - nothing in media about AG Terrirudin to be made Chief Judge of Malaya? Protect Independence of Judges/AG? Free yourself from 'feudalism' or neo-feudalism? Transparency - no more 'secret' appointment process?
No to the appointment of current Public Prosecutor as Federal Court Judge or Chief Judge of Malaysia – Protect the Independence of Public Prosecutor and the Judiciary ### Another removal of the Public Prosecutor/Attorney General?
Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) appellate and trial division head Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar has been appointed as the new attorney-general.
In a statement, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said Dusuki’s appointment has received royal assent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and will be effective tomorrow.
He is taking over the office from current AG Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, who was recently appointed as a Federal Court judge.
“Dusuki, 57, who hails from Kelantan, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the International Islamic University Malaysia and has a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Wollongong, Australia.
“He has a wide experience with 31 years of service in the AGC.
“The government also would like to thank Terrirudin for his service as attorney-general,” he said.
Bernama previously reported that Terrirudin, who was appointed as the attorney-general on Sept 6 last year, reaches his retirement age today (Nov 11) and is set to become a Federal Court judge.
On July 9, Free Malaysia Today reported a source saying that Terrirudin is tipped for appointment as a Federal Court judge and may later be appointed to occupy the post of Chief Judge of Malaya, the third-highest post in the judicial hierarchy. Malaysiakini, 11/11/2024
AGC: Outgoing attorney general Terrirudin asks to stop ‘donation drive’ for his retirement gift
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — The donation drive to honour Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh who is retiring on Nov 11, has been stopped.
The AG Chambers (AGC) in a statement said that the AG himself had requested for the donation drive to be discontinued.
"Although this donation drive was well-intentioned, the AG has requested for it to be discontinued,” read the statement, which was issued in response to the donations allegedly being sought from deputy public prosecutors to honour the retiring AG.
The matter went viral on Telegram and other social media platforms after the AGC personnel were allegedly asked to make monetary contributions to purchase a retirement gift for Ahmad Terrirudin, in recognition of his many contributions and efforts to the prosecution division.
The viral message also said that the donations should be made according to the donors’ grade, namely Turus (RM500); JUSA A (RM400); JUSA B (RM300) and JUSA C (RM200), as well as L44 (RM30) and L41 (RM20).
It is also learnt that the donation drive was also organised in celebration of Ahmad Terrirudin, who is set to be appointed as a Federal Court Judge.
Ahmad Terrirudin, 56, was appointed as the AG on Sept 6 last year, succeeding Tan Sri Idrus Harun, whose contractual appointment ended on Sept 5.
Before holding this position, Ahmad Terrirudin served as the Solicitor General. — Bernama, Malay Mail, 5/11/2024
Source: Terrirudin not on list given by CJ to PM for new Chief Judge of Malaya
Speculation that the attorney-general is poised for promotion to the Federal Court evokes fears of executive meddling in the judiciary.
A storm is brewing in legal and judicial circles over Anwar Ibrahim's plan to appoint Attorney-General Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh as a judge of the Federal Court and Chief Judge of Malaya, raising similar concerns that the Conference of Rulers expressed not long ago about the prime minister's powers to appoint senior judges.
MalaysiaNow can now reveal, based on reliable sources, that Terrirudin's name is not among those recommended by Chief Justice (CJ) Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to Anwar to fill the position of Chief Judge of Malaya.
The position has been vacant since Zabidin Diah retired on Feb 29.
Tengku Maimun is understood to have recommended a list of names to Anwar, in accordance with Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, which states that the appointment of judges to top judicial positions other than that of chief justice shall be made in consultation with the CJ.
Article 122B also states that it is only after this process that the prime minister may advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who in turn consults with the Conference of Rulers.
An official at the Prime Minister's Department declined to comment on the matter, saying only that the government was not obliged to accept the CJ's candidates.
This is a far cry from Anwar's own promise to stay out of the appointment of judges, just months after becoming PM.
"We see in the past few years, there have been changes and appointments in the judiciary, but I haven’t interfered with a single appointment. I follow the Judicial Appointments Commission’s process and then the CJ will forward (a name) and I will accept it," he was quoted as saying in an interview with RTM in January 2023.
The argument that the prime minister is not bound by the advice of the CJ does not go down well with senior judges, many of whom are still struggling to move on after a long history of government interference in the judiciary in recent decades.
"We had to learn the bitter lesson that whilst the independence of the judiciary can be destroyed in an instant, rebuilding and reestablishing its independence can take decades," warned a joint letter signed by past presidents of the Malaysian Bar recently.
"That is the crux of the current concern. There is a fear of renewed executive interference in the judiciary," said a judicial source privy to the matter, who spoke to MalaysiaNow on strict condition of anonymity.
"It is glaring that not a single name put forward by her was accepted. This defeats the constitutional requirement for consultations," the source added.
The plan to appoint Teriruddin as a Federal Court judge and then CJM has been criticised by the legal fraternity, including the former deputy minister in charge of law and institutional reforms, Ramkarpal Singh.
"Appointing an outsider to one of the country’s most senior judicial posts would certainly be a step backward and would reflect poorly on the government’s commitment to judicial reforms," said Ramkarpal, who was not reappointed to his post following the Cabinet reshuffle late last year.
Concerns of Malay rulers echoed
Just a week after Anwar was sworn in as prime minister, the Conference of Rulers had called for curtailing the prime minister's powers in the appointment of judges.
The Rulers made this clear when they proposed that the prime minister be stripped of the power to appoint five representatives to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), a nine-member body that nominates candidates for appointment to the superior courts.
Four of the nine members of JAC are senior judges, while the remaining five are appointed by the prime minister.
"To ensure the independence of JAC in carrying out its responsibilities, I propose that the appointment of its five members should not be made by the prime minister.
"Instead it should be given to other institutions such as the Malaysian Bar Council, the Sabah Law Society, the Sarawak Bar Association and the Parliamentary Select Committee," Negeri Sembilan ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir had said at the time.
A few months later, Anwar vowed to protect the independence of the judiciary.
"As prime minister, not only have I not encroached upon even a single inch of the sacred terrain of the judiciary, but I shall defend, at all costs,the independence of the judiciary," he said at the Asean Law Conference last year.
Restoring public confidence in the judiciary has been almost a permanent feature of Pakatan Harapan (PH) election manifestos throughout the decades.
In 2018, it pledged to ensure the appointment of judges based on merit and experience and to remove the prime minister's power to influence the appointment of judges.
"The appointment of the chief justice and the president of the Court of Appeal through the backdoor as practised by Umno and Barisan Nasional will be stopped immediately," said the PH manifesto ahead of the 14th general election.
A similar promise was made during the last general election.
"Harapan will continue to protect the integrity of Malaysia’s
administration by limiting the power of the executive, ensuring the
freedom of our judiciary, and reorganising the political structures of
the country," the coalition said. - Malaysia Now, 1/8/2024
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