KUALA LUMPUR – The sessions court was today told that Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin had submitted an application letter from the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority Bhd (Felcra) to invest RM150 million in the Public Mutual unit trust, whereas the Felcra board of directors only agreed to invest RM50 million.
Former Treasury deputy secretary-general for investments Datuk Seri Dr Mohmad Isa Hussain said that during the board meeting on November 24, 2014, which he, Bung Moktar and several other members attended, it was agreed that RM50 million would be invested in the unit trust.
Isa said he received a letter of application for the RM150 million investment on March 3, 2015, that was signed by Bung Moktar himself (a non-executive chairman of Felcra then) to be submitted to then Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah for approval.
“The application was approved by Husni, which meant Felcra could continue with the unit trust investment proposal it applied for, because investments exceeding a total of RM30 million needed to be referred to the Ministry of Finance Inc for a final decision.
“Regarding the total investment of RM150 million as stated (in the letter), at that time, I assumed that the total was the same as that presented at the board meeting on November 24, 2014, and I do not know if the sum had been altered or was not the same as was agreed at that board meeting,” he said.
The 19th prosecution witness said this while reading his statement during the main examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah at the graft trial of Bung Moktar and his wife, actress Datin Seri Zizie Ezette A. Samad.
Isa said that to his knowledge, if there was a change in the amount to be invested in the Public Mutual unit trust, whatever changes to the amount should be referred to the Felcra board.
However, during the notification of the unit trust’s investment performance report at the board meeting in August 2015, he found that the findings were not encouraging and the information provided was suspicious.
“As chairman of the Felcra audit team, I then raised the matter (the issue of the RM150 million investment) at the 54th Felcra Bhd Audit Committee meeting dated September 15, 2015, and asked for an investigation into the matter.
“After the results of the special investigation were tabled, I realised that the total investment agreed was not the same as the original decision, that is, (an increase) from RM50 million to RM150 million,” he said.
On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar pleaded not guilty to two charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in the Public Mutual unit trust.
Bung Moktar, as then non-executive chairman of Felcra, was charged with 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.
The Kinabatangan MP also pleaded not guilty to accepting a cash bribe for himself of RM335,500 from another Public Mutual investment agent, Norlaili Ahmad Mokhtar, 42, under Zizie Ezette’s name for the same reason, at the same place, on June 19, 2015.
Zizie Ezette also pleaded not guilty to three charges of abetting her husband on the same matter at the same place, date and time.
The hearing before judge Rozina Ayob continues on June 23. – Bernama, May 21, 2021
