Rohana Yusuf first woman President of Court of Appeals

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 5 -- Federal Court judge Datuk Rohana Yusuf today became the first woman to be elevated as the President of the Court of Appeals, the second highest position in the Judiciary.

Rohana, 63, hails from Bachok, Kelantan.

Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat became the first woman to hold the highest position in the Judiciary with her promotion on May 2.

Also today, three Court of Appeals judges, Datuk Zaleha Yusof, 54, Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof, 60, and Datuk Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, 60, were appointed Federal Court judges.

With these appointments, the number of women judges in the Federal Court, the highest court in the country, now stands at six out of the total 13 judges.

The sixth woman Federal Court judge is Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan.

Rohana took her oath of office and loyalty before Court of Appeals Senior Judge Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid at the Palace of Justice while the three new judges of the Federal Court took their oaths before Tengku Maimun.

Also appointed as Court of Appeals judges are High Court judges Datuk Abu Bakar Jais, Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail and Nantha Balan a/l E.S. Moorthy while judicial commissioners Datuk Seri Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah and Datuk Azmi Abdullah were appointed as High Court judges.

Rohana obtained her LLB (Hons) from Universiti Malaya in 1980 and started her career in the judicial and legal service as assistant drafter in the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

She was appointed as a judicial commissioner on Sept 1, 2005, and as a High Court judge on April 17, 2007.

On Jan 8, 2013, Rohana was appointed a Court of Appeals judge and on April 27, 2018, as a Federal Court judge.

-- BERNAMA