Defence Trial Of Bung Moktar, Wife Postponed To Sept 2  

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Sessions Court here today postponed the defence trial proceedings of Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad on three corruption charges totalling RM2.8 million, to Sept 2.

Judge Rosli Ahmad decided this after allowing an application by lawyer Teh See Khoon, representing Zizie Izette, for the hearing, which had been set for today,  to be postponed due to the absence of lead counsel Datuk Seri K. Kumaraendran.

 "Datuk Kumaraendran is unwell… and he is still undergoing treatment,”  said Teh, who is handling the case with lawyer M. Athimulan, representing Bung Moktar.

The court also vacated the trial dates, which had been set for tomorrow and Wednesday (Aug 20).

Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How, however, objected to the application.

Last May 22, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, unanimously dismissed the couple’s application for leave to review the decision ordering them to enter their defence on the corruption charges.

Justice Che Mohd Ruzima, who sat with Court of Appeal judges Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan and Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid, said the couple failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances or a miscarriage of justice that would justify a review of the ruling.

On Nov 18 last year, a Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim allowed the prosecution’s appeal and overturned the High Court’s decision to acquit Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette, ordering both to enter their defence.

Bung Moktar, 65, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra Berhad, was charged on May 3, 2019, with two charges of accepting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.

He was alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual Berhad’s investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette, 46, at Public Bank Taman Melawati Branch, Kuala Lumpur, between 12.30 pm and 5 pm on June 12, 2015.

Bung Moktar was also charged with receiving RM337,500 in cash from Unit Amanah consultant, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, under the name of Zizie Izette for the same reason and place on June 19, 2015, while Zizie Izette was charged with three counts of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.

-- BERNAMA