PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen clocked out from the Palace of Justice Friday, his last day as a Federal Court judge.

The 66-year-old begins his mandatory retirement.

Foong clocking out at the Palace of Justice

Top judiciary officers, Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif and Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, and the staff of the judiciary bade him farewell when he clocked out at 5pm.

Also present were Federal Court judges Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong and Datuk Ahmad Ma'arop.

His parting words as Federal Court judge was "the Judiciary is in safe, good and capable hands".

"It (the judiciary) has been modernised, re-organised and I think, we can move forward to greater heights," Foong told the media.

Foong spent 21 years in the judiciary, beginning as judicial commissioner in 1990. Two years later, he was appointed high court judge. Among the posts he has held were high court judge in criminal court, high court judge in the civil court before being appointed Court of Appeal judge in 2005. He was elevated to Federal Court judge in 2009.

Born in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 25, 1946, Foong is married to Datin Lim Chooi Hoon, and they have four children.

Among the court cases Foong heard were the Highland Towers civil suit brought by 73 residents of the condominium's two blocks, who had to evacuate after the collapse of Block One in 1993, which saw 48 people perish.

He also chaired a five-member Royal Commission of Inquiry panel into the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the political secretary to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, who was found dead on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, Selangor, on July 16, 2009.

The panel found that Teoh's death was due to suicide. BERNAMA

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