Kuala lumpur: Federal Court judge Datuk Abu Bakar Jais has been appointed as the new President of the Court of Appeal, taking over from Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim who retired on July 3. Abu Bakar, aged 63, brings over three decades of experience in legal and judicial service to his new role.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Abu Bakar began his judicial career as a Judicial Commissioner at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 8, 2013. He was appointed as a High Court Judge on March 21, 2016, serving in the Kuala Lumpur and Seremban High Courts until 2019. His elevation to the Court of Appeal came on December 5, 2019, followed by his promotion to the Federal Court on June 13, 2023.

Born in Muar, Johor, Abu Bakar pursued his Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at Universiti Malaya from 1982 to 1986. He later obtained a Certificate in Government Legal Advisers Course from the University of London in 1996. His career has spanned various roles in the legal and judicial sectors, including serving as a law tutor at the International Islamic University Malaysia, a Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Attorney General's Chambers and the Anti-Corruption Agency, and a Magistrate in Ipoh.

Abu Bakar's experience also includes his tenure as an Assistant Director at the Legal Aid Bureau and as a Federal Counsel in the Civil Division of the Attorney General's Chambers, where he served until 2000. In private practice, he was a litigation partner at Zaid Ibrahim and Co. and later at Hisham, Sobri and Kadir.

In 2023, he was part of the Federal Court panel that ruled on former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's application for a review of his conviction and 12-year prison sentence over the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. He also participated in the panel that decided the appeal involving SIS Forum (Malaysia).