KUALA LUMPUR: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has welcomed the appointment of the country’s three top judges, including Chief Justice Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

The Bersih steering committee expressed hope that Wan Ahmad’s firm stance in upholding the country’s principles of sovereignty would continue in his tenure as Chief Justice, adding that Wan Ahmad Farid, who had been part of the political paty Umno, had recused himself from hearing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s case as a High Court judge in 2022.

"Such a stance is vital to ensure that the public respects the judiciary as a body that upholds the principle of legal sovereignty,” the committee said in a statement on Friday (July 18), adding that it was vital for Wan Ahamd to avoid causing negative public perception towards the independence of the judicial institution.

The appointment of the top three judges, Wan Ahmad Farid as Chief Justice, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais as president of the Court of Appeals and Datuk Azizah Nawawi as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, was made public on Thursday (July 17).

The appointments were made based on Clause (1) of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, after obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister and after consulting the Conference of Rulers.

They are set to receive their letters of appointment and take their oaths of office in front of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia at Istana Negara on July 28, 2025.- Bernama