Brunei Sultan appoints new AG, Deputy Minister, other senior officials

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ ANN) - By the command of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, several new appointments of senior government positions, including Attorney General (AG) and Deputy Minister of Development, were announced yesterday evening.

His Majesty has consented to the appointment of the High Court Judge of the Supreme Court Dato Paduka Haji Hairol Arni bin Haji Abdul Majid as the new Attorney General.

Prior to this appointment, Dato Paduka Haji Hairol Arni served as a High Court Judge since 2008 and as a Legal Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in 1988 before taking up different positions in the Subordinate and Supreme Court.

Dato Paduka Haji Hairol Arni replaces Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Hayati binti Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh, who served as Attorney General since 2009. She was the first Brunei Malay woman to be called to the English Bar. In 2001, she became the first woman in Brunei to be appointed as a High Court Judge of the Supreme Court and in 2009 she became the first woman to be appointed as Attorney General, a post which was elevated to a ministerial rank on May 29, 2010.

An additional deputy ministerial post was also announced, with Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development Haji Marzuke bin Haji Mohsin appointed as Deputy Minister of Development.

His Majesty has also consented to the appointment of several new permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries in several ministries.

The Ministry of Defence (MinDef) saw the appointment of several new senior officials. Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Shahril Anwar bin Haji Ma’awiah has been appointed as Permanent Secretary at the MinDef; Senior Administrative Officer at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MoCYS) Haji Amiruddin bin Haji Mohammad Hassan has been appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MinDef and Special Duties Officer at the Ministry of Development Haji Zakaria bin Haji Serudin has been appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MinDef.

In the Ministry of Development, its Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak has been promoted to Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development; Director-General of Public Works Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria has been appointed as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development; Acting Deputy Director-General of Public Works Hajah Norhayati binti Haji Mohammad Yaakob has been appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development; and Head of Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi) Hajah Siti Aidah binti Haji Mohammad has also been appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development.

In the Ministry of Education (MoE), Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) Dr Haji Azman bin Haji Ahmad has been promoted as Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the MoE; Dean of the Faculty of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Dr Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati binti Haji Tajuddin has been appointed as Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the MoE, and Director and Chief Executive Officer of Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) Dr Chin Wei Keh has been appointed as Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the MoE.

Meanwhile, Zuraini binti Haji Sharbawi who was the Head of Legal Adviser at the AGC will replace Haji Mohd Yusree bin Haji Junaidi as the new Solicitor General with a status equivalent to Deputy Permanent Secretary.

The appointments of the Attorney General and Deputy Minister as well as the senior government officials are effective today.

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