Anwar says new CJ appointment clears him of judicial interference claim
The PM acknowledged the speculation but insisted that this was baseless and stemmed from unnamed members of the legal fraternity whom he accused of 'politicking'.
'The complaints and grievances that were hurled at me for weeks, the criticisms, the slander, but now, it turns out that those claims were completely off the mark,' he told reporters after performing Friday prayers at Surau Al-Istiqlal in Presint 14 here.
'There were names being thrown around, I can say it, including a former attorney general who served with distinction and is now a Federal Court judge.
'However, because he still has many years ahead of him, his name was never proposed in the first place. His name was not brought up by me, nor was it discussed by the Conference of Rulers.'
Anwar then said he hoped that the matter would now be put to rest.
The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court announced yesterday that Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh will be sworn in as the country's 17th Chief Justice, succeeding Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who retired on July 2.
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