Zaid Ibrahim no longer chairman of firm he founded

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is no longer chairman of Zaid Ibrahim & Co, the legal firm he established, according to a memo sighted by The Vibes.

“We wish to announce that the partnership council has unanimously decided to revoke the appointment of Datuk Mohd Zahid Ibrahim as chairman, upon deliberation of further information received,” read the brief memo by the company.

However, the memo did not elaborate on the information that led to the revocation.

It was reported about two weeks ago that he would return to the firm he founded 33 years ago.

Zaid served as minister in the prime minister’s department in charge of law and judicial reform for six months in 2008 before he resigned.

The firm had reportedly said that his appointment as chairman would be effective November 1, adding that it looked forward to his role in environmental, societal, and governance issues.

It reportedly also noted Zaid’s “deep understanding of societal issues and human rights”.

“I am delighted to be back and (to) work together with the younger partners. Zaid Ibrahim & Co will continue to grow with dynamism and transparent leadership that Nik, Gilbert and I hope to offer,” Zaid was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

According to the website of Zico Law, Zaid Ibrahim & Co was established on June 1, 1987. It then consisted of one lawyer and two staff housed in an office above a bicycle repair shop here in Kampung Pandan. 

Its first project was the landmark North-South Expressway Project. Two years later, the company opened its first branch office in Kota Bharu, in Zaid’s home state of Kelantan.

In 1991, the firm also opened another two branch offices in Penang and Johor Bahru, making it the first law firm in the country to have branches across Peninsular Malaysia, according to the website.

It adds that in 2001, the firm became the first in the country to have 100 lawyers, and by 2011 the firm became part of the Zico law network, which allowed it to consolidate its presence in several Southeast Asian countries. – The Vibes, November 9, 2020.