No government interference in judge's verdict, says CJ

PUTRAJAYA: Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria says the government never interferes with the decision of the judge in any court case.
"There has never been any interference. We decide our cases independently of the government," he said in an interview with Bernama at his office here.
He noted that the courts had made decisions against the federal and state governments, and "they have had to accept it".
Arifin said that people involved in a case unhappy about a decision could always appeal to a higher court.
"That is the process. For every decision, we (judges) must give reasons why we dismiss or allow a case."
Arifin, who will go on mandatory retirement at the end of the month, was "sometimes quite sad" that people criticised a decision before the written judgment had come out.
The country's top judge, who will turn 67 in October, had his term extended by another six months last year. The retirement age for judges is 66.
Arifin said people should at least read a judgement before commenting.
"We simplify our judgment. We provide a summary of the judgment which is easy for the public to understand so that they would know the reason for the court's decision.
He said a court's decision was transparent because a judge was required to give reasons for the verdict and the public could read the judgment to see whether or not it was fair and just.
"I have always called for fair and good criticisms of our decision so that we can develop our jurisprudence," he said.
Arifin regards integrity as the most important criteria of being a judge, adding that there was zero tolerance for judges without it.
"The most important criteria for being a good judge is you must be of the highest integrity. Then only come the other capabilities like writing a good judgment," Arifin said. — Bernama