KUALA LUMPUR – The corruption trial of Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Ezette A. Samad, has been postponed following the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) in several states for two weeks, starting tomorrow.
Judge Rozina Ayob adjourned the trial, which had summoned 10 prosecution witnesses to testify, and fixed February 2 for its resumption.
“If the MCO is not extended further, you are required to turn up in court on February 2. Otherwise, I will have to wait for instructions from the chief registrar of the courts, subject to further notice.”
The 11th prosecution witness, namely Yayasan Felcra senior administrative and finance manager Azriman Ridouan, 44, will be called to testify at the next hearing.
Deputy public prosecutors Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah, Mohd Sophian Zakaria, Siti Noor Hafizan Zakaria, Maziah Mohaide and Abdul Rashid Sulaiman appeared for the prosecution, while Bung Moktar and Zizie Ezette were represented by lawyers Datuk K. Kumaraendran, M. Athimulan, Ridha Abdah Subri and Ahmad Adha Amir Yasser.
The court previously set the trial for this week to run from yesterday to Friday.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the reimposition of the MCO in Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Sabah and the Federal Territories from tomorrow until January 26.
On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar, 61, pleaded not guilty to two counts of receiving bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 for obtaining approval for Felcra to make a RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trust products.
The then Felcra non-executive chairman is accused of accepting the bribes from Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid, 38, through Zizie Ezette at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch here, between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.
He also claimed trial to a charge of taking for himself a bribe of RM335,500 from another Public Mutual investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, 42, under Zizie Ezette’s name, for the same purpose.
The offence was allegedly committed at the same location on June 19, 2015.
Zizie Ezette pleaded not guilty to three counts of abetting her husband on the same matter, at the same place, date and time. – Bernama, January 12, 2021
