Court to decide on graft charges against Bung Moktar and wife

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court is scheduled to decide whether Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad will be acquitted or ordered to enter their defence against charges of corruption amounting to RM2.8 million over unit trust investments.

Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob is scheduled to deliver her decision at 3pm.

If the court decides in favour of the prosecution that there is a prima facie case against Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette, the couple will be called to enter their defence. Otherwise, they will be freed of their charges.

On May 17, the prosecution closed its case after calling 30 witnesses to testify at the trial which began on Jan 2, 2020.

Among the prosecution witnesses called to testify were former finance minister II Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, former Felcra Investments general manager Adnan Yusof, Felcra board member Habibah Suleiman, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) assistant superintendent Norsharil Saharom, and Public Mutual investment agents Madhi Abdul Hamid and Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar.
 
The case is being handled by deputy public prosecutors Faridz Gohim Abdullah, Mohd Sophian Zakaria and Law Chin How, while lawyer M Athimulan represents Bung Moktar and lawyers K Kumaraendran and Ridha Abdah Subri represent Zizie Izette.

On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to three charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.8 million to obtain approval for Felcra Bhd to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.

Bung Moktar, who was the non-executive chairman of Felcra at the time, was accused of accepting bribes of RM2.2 million in cash from Public Mutual investment agent Madhi, through Zizie Izette, at Public Bank's Taman Melawati branch between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.
 
He is also accused of accepting a bribe of RM262,500 in cash from Madhi through the Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund account number 044797816 registered in the name of Zizie Izette, for a similar purpose.

Bung Moktar, 64 is likewise accused of accepting a bribe of RM337,500 in cash from Public Mutual investment agent Norhaili, through the Public Ittikal Sequel Fund account number 044797824 registered in the name of Zizie Izette.

The latter two offences were allegedly committed at the same location at 12.16pm and 12.28pm, on June 19, 2015.

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