Chief judge warns against over-two-year remand periods in criminal cases

At a recent Badan Peguam Johor dinner, chief judge Wan Ahmad Farid warned that protracted pre-trial detention erodes the fundamental right to liberty, especially in criminal cases. He noted that suspects should not endure more than two years on remand before their cases are heard. Citing recent incidents—a nine-year remand of an Orang Asli man and a four-year detention of a truck driver in Kota Bharu—he stressed the need to prevent such injustices.

Farid praised the Attorney General's Department for reviewing representations that led to charge reductions and lighter court loads. He also announced the government's plan to create a Judicial Academy to provide continuous, intensive training for senior judges, aiming to align Malaysia’s judiciary with international best practices. The initiative seeks to move away from trial-and-error approaches toward deeper expertise among judges.