Richard Malanjum
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Richard Malanjum (born 13 October 1952) is a Malaysian jurist and lawyer who served as the ninth
Chief Justice of Malaysia The chief justice of Malaysia ( Malay: ''Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia''; Jawi: ), also known as the chief justice of the Federal Court, is the office and title of the head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 19 ...
and fourth Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak. Before joining the judicial service, he was a practising lawyer and was the president of the Sabah Law Association, the bar association for the state of
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
.


Education

He had his early education in Tuaran (he was only born there but brought up in his hometown of
Putatan Putatan () is a municipality in the capital of the Putatan district in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 100,000 in 2021. It is one of the satellite town of Kota Kinabalu metropolitan area t ...
in the
Penampang Penampang () is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonymous with, Donggongon ...
district, where both his parents are originally from as either his father or mother was stationed in the above district due to a job post with the colonial government) which caused his mother to give birth to him in that district, what more spending his partial childhood and teenage years before completing his secondary education at La Salle Secondary School,
Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...
. In 1972, he graduated from the MARA Institute of Technology (now Universiti Teknologi MARA) in
Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...
,
Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
as an external student at the University of London and obtained a
Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
(LL.B) in 1975. He then furthered his studies in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and managed to complete his Bar-at-Law study the following year.


Career

He started his career as a clerk at the Education Department, Department of Agriculture, Television and Radio Department before moving on as a Welfare Officer at the State Welfare Department. Having obtained a law degree, Malanjum served at the Sabah Chief Minister's Department and was assigned as Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Sabah State Attorney-General's Chambers. He was also admitted to the
English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...
of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn in London. Upon his return to Malaysia, Malanjum continued his service as deputy public prosecutor and senior
legal counsel A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as wel ...
at the Sabah State Attorney-General's Chambers. In 1977, he was a
solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
with the
Malaysian Bar The Malaysian Bar () is a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, there is no distinction between a barrister and a solicitor, in that, it is a fused profession. Membership into the Bar ...
, Sabah and was admitted to the Australian Capital Territory Bar in 1991. In 1981, Malanjum resigned from his post at the Sabah State Attorney-General's Chambers and joined a legal firm in Kota Kinabalu where he became Sabah Law Association president. Later, he was appointed judicial commissioner in early 1992. In 2006, for the first time since the formation of Malaysia, he became the first Sabahan elevated as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, the fourth most senior judicial office in Malaysia. Prior to that, the post was held by a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
, one from
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
and several
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
ians. He was sworn-in as the ninth Chief Justice of Malaysia, the highest judicial officer in Malaysia on 11 July 2018, becoming the first person from the
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
states of Malaysia to ascend to the office. He retired as Chief Justice on 13 April 2019 having reached the mandatory retirement age. On 28 January 2022, he was appointed by the Secretary-General as the Ombudsperson of the United Nation's Security Council. He assumed his official functions on 14 February 2022.


Landmark court cases

Called a “fearless and staunch defender of the integrity of the Federal Constitution and fundamental liberties” by Retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hishamudin Yunus for his dissenting judgements whilst in Federal Court, Richard was claimed to have made 'brave' judgements in the controversial cases of
Lina Joy Lina Joy is a Malay convert from Islam to Christianity. Born Azlina Jailani on 28 July 1964 in Malaysia to Muslim parents of Javanese descent, she converted at age 26. The Lina Joy case sparkled a debate about apostasy in Malaysia,Lina Joy a ...
(2007) in which he had adjudge the insistence by the National Registration Department for a certificate of apostasy from the Federal Territory Syariah Court was not only unlawful but also unreasonable, The Herald/Allah Case (2014) “According to Justice Richard Malanjum, there were merits in the applicant's contention that the Minister's decision contravened Article 11(1) and (3) of the Federal Constitution, and therefore leave to appeal to the Federal Court ought to be granted (whereas in this case leave to appeal to the Federal Court was refused by the Federal Court).”Richard had also made separate judgements in other cases including Public Prosecutor vs Koh Wah Kuan (2007), Sivarasa Rasiah vs Badan Peguam Malaysia (2010), M. Indira Gandhi vs Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Perak and others (2018) and Alma Nudo Atenza v Public Prosecutor (The double presumption case) (2019).


Honours

* : ** Commander of the
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...
(PSM) – Tan Sri (2007) ** Grand Commander of the
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...
(SSM) – Tun (2020) * : ** Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Loyalty to the Crown of Kelantan Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...
(SPSK) – Dato' (2006) * : ** Grand Knight of the
Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang ( Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded ...
(SIMP) – Dato' (2004) ** Grand Knight of the
Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang The Most Illustrious Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang ( Malay: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang Yang Amat Di Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah on 24 O ...
(SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2006) * : ** Commander of the
Order of Kinabalu The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu (Malay: ''Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Kinabalu'') is the only order conferred by the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia. Background The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu is established by virtue of Section 3(a) of State Honou ...
(PGDK) – Datuk (1998) ** Grand Commander of the
Order of Kinabalu The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu (Malay: ''Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Kinabalu'') is the only order conferred by the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia. Background The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu is established by virtue of Section 3(a) of State Honou ...
(SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (2006)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malanjum, Richard Living people 1952 births Chief justices of Malaysia 20th-century Malaysian judges Kadazan-Dusun people People from Sabah 21st-century Malaysian judges Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia