ON Feb 4, Justice Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali was elevated as a judge of the Court of Appeal after serving as a High Court judge for approximately four years, since 2017. During his Lordship’s tenure as a High Court judge, Justice Mohd Nazlan tried several intriguingly famous corruption cases, including those involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, as well as the vernacular schools’ Constitutionality case.
Malaysians seem to have a misconceived perception that the government of the day can influence the decisions of judges. This is particularly apparent when the trial involves a politician. More often than not, supporters of the accused politician are prone to believing that the arrest, prosecution and, sometimes, conviction are initiated arbitrarily by the government.