Bung Moktar, wife's bid in graft case set for Sept 7 hearing

The High Court here today set Sept 7 to hear the revision applications by Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad of the Sessions Court's decision ordering them to enter their defence on a RM2.8 million corruption charge.

Judge Azhar Abdul Hamid set the date after Bung Moktar's lawyer M Athimulan told the court that they need at least three weeks to submit written submissions.

The court ordered both parties to file their written submissions before or by Aug 4 and submissions in reply by Aug 18.

Both Bung Moktar, 63, and Zizie Izette, 44, were present at the court today.

On July 7, the Appeals Court remitted back the revision applications filed by the couple to the High Court for the merits of the applications to be heard. 

On Dec 9, last year, High Court judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid dismissed their revision applications without hearing the merits of the applications after accepting the prosecution's preliminary objection that the revision applications were improper before the court as they had used the wrong method to file the applications.

The Sessions Court, on Sept 2 last year, ordered Bung Mokhtar and Zizie Izette to enter their defence on the corruption charges amounting to RM2.8 million involving an RM150 million investment in Public Mutual Berhad unit trust. 

This prompted them to file revision applications in the High Court. Following the High Court's dismissal of their revision applications, they filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar was charged with two charges of accepting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.

He is alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual Berhad's investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette at Public Bank Taman Melawati Branch in Kuala Lumpur between 12.30pm and 5pm 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 is facing three charges of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.