Chief Justice promises disposal of pending cases of over a year under Court of Appeal in Sabah and Sarawak
(From left) Yew, Malanjum, Zulkefli, Md Raus, Ahmad, Norchaya and Dean during the Open Court proceedings to mark the start of the Legal Year 2018 for Sabah and Sarawak.
MIRI: Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif has set a June deadline for the disposal of all pending cases as far back as 2016 under the Court of Appeal in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said 90 per cent of the 660 pending cases under the Court of Appeal of both states, including in the Federal Court, were dated less than one year.
“We will deal with these appeals of more than one year, within the first half of this year,” he said when opening the Sarawak and Sabah Legal Year 2018 yesterday.
“For Sabah and Sarawak, I leave it to the good hands of Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak (Tan Sri Richard Malanjum) that there are no old cases pending in the High Court and subordinate courts in Sabah and Sarawak by the end of June 2018.”
He said based on the figures presented by Malanjum, “the overall performance of High Courts and subordinate courts in Sabah and Sarawak is commendable”.
Md Raus added that almost all courts in Sabah and Sarawak managed to dispose of their cases within the timelines prescribed and are now dealing with current cases and some pending cases.
As such, he called on the legal fraternity and public to appreciate efforts to expeditiously dispose of cases without compromising on justice for all and effective results at reasonable costs.
Md Raus also stressed the need for efficient management at all levels of the judiciary system as effective management of cases and high professionalism would expedite the disposal of cases besides maintaining public confidence.
“In the face of unprecedented challenges, I hope that the courts of Sabah and Sarawak will discharge their duties with diligence and care,” he said.
Md Raus also launched a Mobile Court vehicle, which will be stationed in Bintulu.
Malanjum had earlier explained the Mobile Court was initiated in 2007 to hear cases in rural areas to reduce expenditure and travelling time.
“In Sarawak, we just received a new vehicle for the Mobile Court to be stationed in Bintulu. We thank the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) for the vehicle and gazetted parking.
“Comparatively, we spent about RM5,000 per month for Mobile Court operations, which is much lower compared to sending judges out,” he said.
Among those present were Appeal Court president Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop, Kuching High Court Judge Datuk Yew Jen Kie, Kota Kinabalu High Court Judge Datuk Norchaya Arshad, and Miri Judicial Commissioner Dean Wayne Daly.