Dato’ Mah Weng Kwai

– CONSULTANT –

Dato’ Mah Weng Kwai was called to the English Bar as a Barrister-at-Law in 1971 and to the Malaysian Bar as an Advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in July 1972.

In 1973 Dato’ Mah joined the Judicial and Legal Services of Malaysia and held, inter alia, the posts of Magistrate, President of the Sessions Court and Senior Assistant Registrar of the High Court. He also served as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and Senior Federal Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Dato’ Mah obtained his Master of Laws degree with Honours in 1985 from the University of Sydney, Australia and in 1999 was appointed a Fellow of the Senate of the University of Sydney.

He left the Judicial and Legal Services in 1985 and commenced private practice as an advocate and solicitor as the principal of Mah Weng Kwai & Associates.

Dato’ Mah is a past-President of the Malaysian Bar and of LAWASIA, the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific. He was also a member of the Legal Profession Qualifying Board and the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board both established under the Legal Profession Act 1976.

On 4.1.2010 Dato’ Mah was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the High Court of Malaya and on 10.8.2011 a Judge of the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal, Malaysia on 21.9.2012.

Dato’ Mah returned to MahWengKwai & Associates as a Consultant after his retirement as a Court of Appeal Judge in February 2015. He is on the AIAC’s panel of arbitrators and is certified as a mediator by the Malaysian Mediation Centre.

In February 2016, Dato’ Mah was appointed Commissioner and Chairman of Legal Committee of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) by the Minister of Transport. On 26.4.2016, Dato’ Mah was appointed a Commissioner of The Human Right Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Following the 14th Malaysian General Election in 2018, Dato’ Mah was appointed as a member of the Institutional Reform Committee and was tasked with his fellow committee members to examine the state of key institutions including the Parliament, Police, Elections Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Judiciary, SUHAKAM, as well as restrictive/preventive laws; and to recommend necessary reforms to the Prime Minister.

On 4.9.2018, Dato’ Mah was appointed as a Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Career to date

2015   Consultant, MahWengKwai & Associates
2015   Panel Arbitrator & Mediator, Asian International Arbitration Centre              (AIAC)
2012   Judge, Court of Appeal, Malaysia
2011   Hon. Treasurer, ASEAN Law Association
2011   Judge, High Court of Malaya
2010   Judicial Commissioner, High Court of Malaya
2006   President, LawAsia
2001   Qualified Mediator, Malaysian Mediation Centre (MMC)
2001   Vice President, ASEAN Law Association
2001   President, Malaysian Bar
1999   Vice-President, Malaysian Bar
1997   Secretary, Malaysian Bar
1994   Honourary Fellow of the Senate, University of Sydney, Australia
1985   Practising Advocate & Solicitor
1985   Senior Assistant Parliamentary Draftsman, Attorney-General’s              Chambers KL
1985   Master of Laws (Hons), University of Sydney, Australia
1984   Admitted as a Barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW, Australia
1984   Admitted as a Barrister of the High Court of Canberra, Australia
1981   Sr Federal Counsel, Civil Division , Attorney-General’s Chambers KL
1978   Deputy Public Prosecutor, Attorney-General’s Chambers KL
1976   President of the Sessions Court (Tk. Intan; K. Kangsar); Senior              Assistant Registrar of the High Court (Penang)
1973  Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court (KL; Tk. Intan)
1972  Practising Advocate & Solicitor
1972  Called to the Malaysian Bar
1971  Called to the English Bar as a Barrister-at-Law (Hon. Society of              Lincoln’s Inn, UK)

In the Media

• 4/3/2019 Mavcom commissioners reappointed for another three years
• 25/2/2019 RCI on judicial misconduct claims: Who to probe, what to investigate
• 20/1/2019 Stop being narrow-minded about dancing, critics told
• 10/1/2019 Judge introduces new concept allowing universities to arbitrate disputes
• 28/12/2018 Suhakam: Inquest can be held if no one has been charged
• 30/10/2018 Wrong decisions can be made, ex-judge says on death penalty
• 30/10/2018 Death penalty not a deterrent, says ex-judge
• 18/9/2018 Suhakam’s Mah among 4 new Judicial Appointments Commission members
• 18/9/2018 PM’s right to replace JAC members, says lawyer
• 18/9/2018 Four new appointees to judicial commission
• 17/8/2018 CEP and its recent extension is ‘not unconstitutional’, says retired apellate judge
• 14/8/2018 Make Public the IRC report to PM, says member
• 7/8/2018 IRC has submitted final report
• 17/7/2018 IRC lists eight key institutions for reform in final report to CEP
• 17/7/2018 CEP to hear committee findings today
• 2/7/2018 Suhakam commissioner approves of child marriage
• 26/6/2018 Reforms committee weeding out corruption in all its forms, says Mah Weng Kwai
• 19/6/2018 Reform committee recommends revamping EAIC
• 30/5/2018 SDGs as the foundation for reformsSDGs as the foundation for reforms
• 29/5/2018 Suhakam inquiry summons Special Branch man who claimed cops behind abductions
• 16/5/2018 IRC to find flaws in system 
• 20/4/2018 Large Suhakam team to monitor election campaign
• 20/4/2018 Suhakam mulls public inquiry on GE14 complaints
• 6/3/2018 Lawyer: Resume Pastor Koh inquiry to check negative perceptions
• 16/1/2018 LIVE: Suhakam inquiry suspended after Uber driver charged with kidnapping
• 7/12/2017 HUMAN RIGHTS DAY FESTIVAL
• 1/2/2015 The Star – Justice Mah who made landmark rulings to retire
• 30/1/2015 Malay Mail – ‘Judges can be persuaded, there’s no pre-judgement,’ says retiring judge
• 28/9/2014 The Star – A time for reflection