← Hussein Akhtar Sathiswaranji & Co.
ArticlesReflections on Malaysian law, the courts and the case for reform, written from a lifetime on and off the bench. They are the author’s own thoughts, not legal advice.
Why a judge stays silent on the bench, and what he is free to say once he leaves it.
11 September 2026In Malaysia a conviction after full trial is routinely stayed pending appeal. A man convicted of rape walked his kampung for eight years while his appeal sat in an archive.
11 September 2026A conviction after full trial should end the presumption of innocence. A convict whose sentence is stayed pending appeal should have his movement restricted, as electronic anklets do in some countries.
15 September 2026Malaysian courts sort offences into bailable, non-bailable and unbailable, and the labels fetter their discretion. Bail should turn on the strength of the prosecution’s evidence, tested at an inquiry before trial.
15 September 2026