Prosecution’s appeal from acquittal of Bung and wife adjourned as counsel on MC

The prosecution is appealing the High Court’s acquittal of Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad from three corruption charges involving RM2.8 million. (Bernama pic)

PUTRAJAYA: 

The prosecution’s appeal from the acquittal of Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, for accepting RM2.8 million in bribes for Felcra investments has been adjourned as a lawyer is on medical leave.

Lawyer K Kumaraendran, appearing for Zizie, told a three-member Court of Appeal bench chaired by Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim that Bung’s counsel, M Athimulan, had been unwell since his return from India early this month.

He was first admitted to hospital while in Tamil Nadu, India, and is still suffering from irregular heartbeats although he is back home,

 he said.

Kumaraendran said Athimulan had also been advised by his doctors to seek further medical consultation as he had previously undergone open heart surgery.

Deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How said he had no objection to the postponement.

Zaidi, who sat with Justices Hashim Hamzah and Zaini Mazlan, however, rejected the respondents’ counsel’s request for the appeal to be heard in November.

The lower courts are in limbo and are awaiting a decision by this court. (A hearing date in) November is too long,

 he said.

The court then fixed Oct 9 to hear the appeal.

Kumaraendran said he would make oral submissions for the couple if Athimulan was still unwell when the matter was next called up for hearing.

Bung, the Kinabatangan MP and Lamag assemblyman in Sabah, and Zizie were acquitted on Sept 7 last year after the High Court overturned a Sept 2, 2022 sessions court ruling ordering them to enter their defence to corruption charges.

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 was alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual’s investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid 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 another Public Mutual investment agent, Norhaili Mokhtar, under Zizie’s name at the same location on June 19, 2015.

Zizie was charged with three counts of abetting her husband at the same place, date and time. - FMT