Justice Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad

Judge of the High Court of Malaya at Commercial Division, Kuala Lumpur High Court

Speaker

Justice Atan Mustaffa has served on the High Court bench for over five and a half years, currently in the Commercial Division in Kuala Lumpur. During this time, he has had the privilege of hearing various commercial matters including cases involving financial fraud, corporate misappropriation, trade finance disputes, and cross-border asset recovery issues, often with international dimensions.

His work in the Commercial Division has provided opportunities to consider matters related to Mareva freezing injunctions, enforcement of arbitral awards, and cases involving questions of sovereign immunity. Like many of his judicial colleagues in Malaysia, Justice Atan strives to consider relevant principles from other common law jurisdictions when appropriate, while remaining faithful to Malaysian jurisprudence.

Prior to joining the bench, Justice Atan practiced as a litigation lawyer with a focus on commercial disputes and industrial relations matters. His professional journey also included time in commercial roles and business development before returning to legal practice. This diverse career path, complemented by an MBA qualification, has provided valuable perspectives that inform his understanding of commercial contexts in judicial work.

Justice Atan has occasionally been invited to speak at legal conferences, including at the Hong Kong Arbitration Week in 2024 where he participated in a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in arbitration. He regularly contributes to legal discussions in Malaysia on topics including arbitration, industrial relations, and the growing intersection of technology and law.

At the Asset Recovery Asia Conference 2025, Justice Atan looks forward to sharing perspectives from the bench during his session, and to learning from the diverse experiences of practitioners and experts from across the region.