KOTA SAMARAHAN: Gabriel Gumis Humen has been appointed as the new president of the Native Court of Appeal, with his appointment starting from April 1, 2025.

The appointment was announced by the Chief Registrar of the Native Courts of Sarawak, Datu Johnathan Lugoh, during a meeting in the main meeting room of the Native Courts of Sarawak's building on Wednesday.

According to a media statement, Gabriel Gumis will replace the late Datuk Thomas Akin Jelimin, who passed away in March last year.

Previously, he served as a Resident Native Court Magistrate and has a strong legal background.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from the University of Malaya and has extensive experience in handling appeal cases related to civil matters as well as applications to be identified with a particular native community.

Before joining the Sarawak Bumiputera Court, Gabriel served as a judicial commissioner at the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak.

He also previously held the positions of chairman of the Industrial Court of Malaysia (Sarawak Branch) and chairman of the Social Security Appeals Board.