Bung Moktar and wife to know fate today

PETALING JAYA: The decision on whether Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, will be acquitted or ordered to enter their defence on charges of corruption, will be known at 3pm today.

The Kinabatangan MP and his celebrity wife are facing graft charges amounting to RM2.8mil over Felcra Bhd’s investment in unit trusts worth RM150mil.

The decision will be delivered by Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob after the court hears from the prosecution and defence on June 24.

If the court decides in favour of the prosecution that there is a prima facie case against Bung Moktar, as the first defendant, and Zizie Izette, as the second accused, then they will be called to enter their defence. However, if the judge decides otherwise, both the accused will be freed from the charges.

Proceedings on this case began in January 2020, with the prosecution calling 30 witnesses to testify.

The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How, and included Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah, Mohd Sophian Zakaria, Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry, and Siti Noor Hafizah Zakaria.

The defence team was led by Datuk K. Kumaraendran, M. Athimulam, and Ridha Abdah Subri.

On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar, 64, was charged with two counts of receiving bribes amounting to RM2.2mil and RM262,500, as gratification for giving Felcra approval to make a RM150mil investment in Public Mutual unit trust.

Bung Moktar is accused of receiving bribes from Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid via Zizie Izette at the Taman Melawati branch of Public Bank here between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.

Bung Moktar is also charged with receiving a RM337,500 cash bribe from Norhaili under the name of Zizie Izette for the same reason and place on June 19, 2015, while Zizie Izette, 44, faces three charges of abetting her husband in the matter at the same place, date and time.