Developer, Dutaland Berhad has confirmed on the appointment of former chief justice Tun Arifin Zakaria 73 as the group’s new Chairman with effective December 1.

Upon graduation, Tun Arifinn’s distinguished legal career began when he joined the Malaysian Judicial and Legal Service before being posted as Federal Counsel and Senior Federal Counsel in Advisory Division of Attorney Generals Chambers, Senior Federal Counsel of Inland Revenue Department. He had also served as Magistrate, President of Sessions Court and Senior Assistant Registrar of the High Court.

He served in various capacities in the Government of Malaysia, both in Judicial and Legal Departments before being appointed as Judicial Commissioner on 1 March 1992 and, Judge of the High Court of Malaya in 1994. In 2002, he was elevated as Judge of the Court of Appeal, in 2005 as Judge of the Federal Court and then in October 2008 as Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya.

His most distinguished contributions to the legal fraternity; improve the efficiency of judiciary include promotion of the use of information technology in courts, upgrading and installation of Court Recording and Transcription (CRT) facility, implementation of e-filing, e-finance system enabling payments through kiosks. Other contributions include setting up of New Commercial Courts to dispose commercial cases within 9 months, establishing Environmental Courts as part of Sessions and Magistrates Courts in 2011, setting up Construction Court in KL and Shah Alam in 2013, overseeing establishment of Coroners Court in 2014 and setting up Anti-Profiteering Court in 2015 as well as establishment of a court-annexed mediation throughout the country to expedite disposal of cases and reduce cost of litigation.

Tun Arifin also headed the committee drafting the Rules of Court 2012 combining the Rules of the High Court and the Subordinate Courts, reforming and streamlining civil procedure in Malaysia. On 14 September 2011, Tun Arifin was appointed as the 13th Chief Justice of Malaysia, where he served until his retirement on 31 March 2017. In 2013, he was made an Honorary Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn.

Original Article: https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2023/12/01/former-chief-justice-tun-arifin-appointed-dutaland-chairman/