Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Two Malaysian judges appointed to Fiji Court of Appeal

Posted at 22:29 on 04 September, 2007 UTC

Fiji’s president has appointed two senior Malaysian judges to the Fiji Court of Appeal.

They are Justice Cyrus Das, 59, and Justice Cecil Abraham, 61, with more appointments from Asia expected to follow soon.

The appointments follow the recent resignation of six New Zealand and Australian judges from the Appeal Court.

The interim attorney general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, says Fiji is fortunate to have secured the services of the two judges.

Justice Das is a former president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and was considered one of the finest advocates and lawyers at the Malaysian Bar.

Justice Abraham formerly headed a large and respected firm of advocates and solicitors in Malaysia and has been a prolific writer on legal issues.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says the help of many jurisdictions such as Malaysia and Singapore needs to be acknowledged for their willingness to facilitate the services of high calibre judicial officials.