KINABATANGAN Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, were ordered to enter their defence on three charges of corruption involving RM2.8 million involving FELCRA's RM150 million investment in Public Mutual Berhad unit trusts.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, chaired by Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, sitting with Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, unanimously made the order after allowing the prosecution's appeal.
The prosecution appealed the High Court's decision on September 7 last year, which acquitted and discharged the couple after allowing their application to review the Sessions Court's decision on September 2, 2022, which ordered them to enter their defence.
The panel ordered the case to be returned to the Sessions Court for Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette to enter their defence against the charges.
Bung, who was the non-executive chairman of Felcra, was charged on May 3, 2019, with two counts of receiving bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.
He is alleged to have accepted bribes from Public Mutual’s investment agent Norhaili Madhi through Zizie at the Taman Melawati Public Bank branch between 12.30 pm and 5 pm on June 12, 2015.
The Sabah Umno chief was also charged with receiving a bribe of RM337,500 from Public Mutual investment agent Norhaili under Zizie’s name at the same location on June 19, 2015.
Zizie faces three charges of abetting her husband at the same place, date, and time in committing the alleged offences.
The couple was first charged in 2019, and the Sessions Court ordered the duo to enter their defence.
However, last year, the High Court ruled the lower court had erred and granted the couple a full acquittal. - November 18, 2024
