Former Court of Appeal judge Shaik Daud Ismail dies at 90

2026-02-18 - 05:23

Penang-born Shaik Daud Ismail started his career in the Legal and Judicial Service in 1963. (G25 pic) PETALING JAYA: Shaik Daud Ismail, the former Court of Appeal judge, has passed away at his residence in Kuala Lumpur this morning. Lawyer Shafee Abdullah confirmed that the 90-year-old passed at about 11.11am, after being discharged from hospital yesterday. “He was discharged at the family’s request so that he could be at home,” Shafee told FMT. He said he first met Shaik Daud in the early 1980s, when the latter was a deputy public prosecutor. “He was the best trial judge and appellate judge I have ever appeared before. “He was one of the most illustrious judges,” Shafee recalled, noting that many landmark cases were heard before him, including the widely cited Kerry Wiley case, which involved an American national charged with drug trafficking. The Penang-born Shaik Daud started his career in the Legal and Judicial Service in 1963. He was appointed as a High Court judge in 1983 and retired from the Court of Appeal in 2001. Separately, former Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer described Shaikh Daud as one of Malaysia’s most respected judges, who always displayed integrity, knowledge and an abundance of patience when hearing counsel’s submissions, especially in criminal cases. “He also delivered prompt, well-reasoned written judgments,” he said, recalling his own experience appearing before Shaikh Daud when he was a lawyer.