Bung, Zizie ordered to enter defence on graft charges

 

Bung Moktar Radin and Zizie Izette Abdul Samad are charged in connection with the receipt of RM2.8 million in bribes to secure Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.

PUTRAJAYA: 

Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, have been ordered to enter their defence on charges of corruption and abetment over a RM150 million Felcra investment.

Justice Zaini Mazlan, who read the broad grounds of the unanimous decision handed down by the Court of Appeal, said the revision application filed by the couple in the High Court was akin to filing an appeal.

“It is an interlocutory application masked as an appeal,” said Zaini, adding that such an application was a disruption to the trial process.

“We allow the prosecution’s appeal. The High Court’s ruling is set aside and the sessions court’s decision is restored,” he said.

Also on the panel hearing the appeal were Justices Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Noorin Badaruddin.

Bung, 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 the bribes from Public Mutual’s investment agent Norhaili Madhi through Zizie at the Taman Melawati Public Bank branch between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.

He was also charged with receiving a bribe of RM337,500 from Norhaili under Zizie’s name at the same location on June 19, 2015.

Zizie faces three charges of abetting Bung in the commission of the alleged offences. - FMT