Graft trial of Bung Moktar and wife postponed after lawyer tests positive for Covid

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today postponed the corruption trial of Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad over a unit trust investment in Public Mutual Bhd after a lawyer representing Zizie tested positive for Covid-19.

Lawyer Ridha Abdah Subri, speaking on behalf of Bung and Zizie, told judge Rozina Ayob that the lawyer representing Zizie was confirmed positive on Feb 20 and was undergoing quarantine until Feb 26.

“K Kumaraendran, another lawyer representing Zizie, and M Athimulan, who is representing Bung, are close contacts of the lawyer concerned and both are also undergoing quarantine,” said Ridha.

Bung and his wife were present in court today.

Today had been fixed for hearing the prosecution’s application to cross-examine a key witness, unit trust consultant Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, 45, the 25th prosecution witness in the trial.

Rozina set March 3 for hearing the prosecution’s application, which was made under Section 154 of the Evidence Act 1950.

Deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How also attended today’s proceedings.

On May 3, 2019, Bung pleaded not guilty to two charges of receiving bribes totalling RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement for getting Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual’s unit trust.

Bung, 64, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra, allegedly received the bribes from Public Mutual unit trust agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie at the Public Bank branch in Taman Melawati between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.

He also pleaded not guilty to another charge of receiving a bribe of RM335,500 in cash from Norhaili under the name of Zizie, for the same reason and at the same place on June 19, 2015.

Zizie, 44, pleaded not guilty to three charges of abetting her husband in committing the offences at the same place, date and time.