Zaki appointed CJ of Dubai International Financial Centre Courts

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi has been appointed Chief Justice of Dubai International Financial Centre Courts.

According to a statement from the media office of the Government of Dubai, his appointment by the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, takes effect on Nov 14.

Zaki, 73, joined the DIFC Courts in December 2013, about two years after his retirement as the nation’s Chief Justice.

DIFC Courts deal with civil and commercial disputes in Dubai, one of the world’s leading financial centres.

These include disputes ranging from sophisticated international financial transactions to debt collection and employment.

Zaki, who is in Dubai, told Bernama that the appointment came as a “total surprise”.

“Alhamdulillah (Thanks to Allah), I have become Chief Justice twice,” he said via WhatsApp.

Zaki’s career has also seen him notching up several other notable achievements.

In September 2007, from a practising lawyer, he was directly appointed as a Federal Court judge, the first such direct appointment in Malaysian judicial history.

And two months later, he was appointed as President of the Court of Appeal before becoming Chief Justice in October 2008 until his retirement in September 2011.