Court sets March 9 to hear Isa’s passport application

 

Isa Samad has appealed against his conviction on nine counts of graft involving RM3 million.

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has set March 9 as the date to hear former Felda chairman Isa Samad’s application for the return of his passport.

He is seeking the return of his travel document to allow him to attend his daughter’s convocation at a university in the UK at the end of the month.

Deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz told reporters that the court set the date for online case management before assistant registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof today.

“Tan Sri Isa filed his application for the temporary return of his passport on Feb 24,” he said, adding that the court also set May 11 for further case management.

On Feb 3 last year, Isa, 72, was convicted on nine counts of graft involving RM3 million related to the purchase of Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites in Kuching, Sarawak.

He was sentenced to six years’ jail for each charge and fined RM15.45 million, in default 18 years’ jail.

Isa is only required to serve six years after Judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali (who is now an appellate court judge) ordered all jail sentences to run concurrently.

The judge reached his verdict after finding that the prosecution had proven its case on all the charges against Isa.

The former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar filed his appeal on Feb 4 last year. - FMT