I never discussed financial matters with Bung, Zizie insists

 Bung Moktar Radin's widow denies ‘concocting a story’ but admits to receiving RM2.8 million as a result of Felcra’s RM150 million unit trust investment.

Zizie Izette Abdul Samad was testifying in defence of charges of abetting her late husband Bung Moktar Radin’s corrupt receipt of RM2.8 million. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

 Bung Moktar Radin’s widow dismissed the prosecution’s suggestion that she was not being truthful in claiming she never discussed financial matters during their marriage.

During cross-examination, deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How referred Zizie Izette Abdul Samad to her witness statement, in which she said the couple had agreed from the outset of their union in 2010 to manage their business and investment affairs separately.

Law: Did you not discuss financial matters with your late husband?

Zizie: No, I didn’t.

Law: I put it to you that you are in court just to concoct a story.

Zizie: I disagree.

The former movie and television drama actress said Bung never asked her how much money she had or where she kept her savings.

Zizie, 47, said the couple did not even have a joint bank account and maintained separate safes at home.

Testifying in her defence, Zizie said she had invested RM700,000 in mutual funds and obtained about 10% in returns within three months, which Bung was not aware of.

Bung, a former Kinabatangan MP and Sabah Umno chief, was charged in 2019 with two counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to secure approval for RM150 million for Felcra to invest in Public Mutual unit trusts.

The former Felcra Bhd non-executive chairman was accused of receiving bribes from investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid, through Zizie, at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch on June 12 and June 19, 2015.

He was also charged with corruptly obtaining RM337,500 in cash from another investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, through a Public Ittikal Sequel Fund account registered under Zizie’s name, for the same purpose.

In September last year, Bung took the stand to testify in his defence.

However, in January, the prosecution withdrew the charge against him following his death a month earlier.

Zizie is charged under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009 with abetting Bung in relation to the alleged offences.

Zizie said she introduced Norhaili and Madhi to Bung sometime between late 2013 and early 2014 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur because, as a politician, he was someone people wanted to meet.

Law: You knew very well the real reason why Norhaili wanted to meet Bung.

Zizie: I did not know.

Law: I put it to you that Norhaili wanted to meet Bung to persuade Felcra to participate in (Public Mutual Bhd’s) unit trust schemes.

Zizie: I disagree.

Zizie also disagreed with Law’s suggestion that Norhaili’s meeting with Bung was her second attempt to secure the investment, having failed to persuade Felcra’s previous non-executive chairman Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

She, however, agreed with Law that Norhaili and Madhi were given RM5.6 million by their employer and that she received 50% (or RM2.8 million) as a result of Felcra making a RM150 million investment.

Zizie also conceded under cross-examination that the RM2.8 million was obtained despite her having no role in Felcra and not holding any official position in the agency.

Cross-examined by DPP Fadhly Zamry, Zizie denied that the RM2.8 million was corrupt money which she had collected on Bung’s behalf.

Lawyer K Kumaraendran, assisted by Teh See Koon, then told trial judge Rosli Ahmad that the defence was closing its case.

Rosli will hear oral submissions on May 18. - FMT