PUTRAJAYA (March 14): Two Court of Appeal (COA) judges are expected to rise to the Federal Court level next Monday (March 18) to fill vacant posts.

This follows the retirement of Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Mohamad Zabidin Md Diah earlier this year, and another vacancy at the Federal Court.

A source confirmed with The Edge the proposed elevation of the two judges, as invitations have been sent out to several media (including The Edge) on Thursday for the event on Monday afternoon.

The two judges are expected to receive their instruments of appointment before the His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, on Monday morning, and take their oath before Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat later.

At the moment, there are five senior appellate court judges out of a lineup of 27 COA judges that could be selected, namely Datuk Hanipah Farikullah, Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, Datuk Lee Swee Seng, Datuk Azizah Nawawi and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera. However, the elevation of judges is not necessarily bound by seniority.

The COA is the final avenue of appeal for cases that originate from the Magistrates and Sessions courts. It can accommodate up to 32 judges, although five positions are currently vacant. With the elevation of the two COA judges on Monday, there will be seven vacancies at the appeals court level.

Meanwhile, at the same event, two judicial commissioners from Sabah and Sarawak, and one from Peninsular Malaysia are expected to be confirmed as High Court judges.