KUALA LUMPUR: Former Kinabatangan MP, the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, has been acquitted by the Sessions Court here of three graft charges involving RM2.8mil linked to a Felcra investment.
Judge Rosli Ahmad gave the order for an acquittal after the prosecution told the court that it did not intend to proceed with the case against Bung following his demise on Dec 5, last year.
"According to Section 254 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the prosecution has decided not to continue the case against the first accused (Bung Moktar).
"The court has decided to acquit the first accused of all charges and the bail (RM100,000) and the passport to be returned to the surety," said Rosli during the mention of the case today.
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However, the trial against Bung Moktar's widow, Zizie Izette A. Samad, for abetting her husband in relation to the same offences, will proceed in March.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How told the court that the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) had rejected her representation to drop the charges.
Zizie's lawyer Teh See Khoon asked the court to fix new trial dates for the defence hearing on March 5, 6 and 12.
The court then fixed the dates as requested.
On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar, 65, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra Berhad, was charged with two charges of accepting bribes of RM2.2mil and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra's approval to invest RM150mil in Public Mutual unit trusts.
He was alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual Berhad's investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette, 46, at Public Bank Taman Melawati Branch, Kuala Lumpur, between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.
Bung Moktar was also charged with receiving RM337,500 in cash from Unit Amanah consultant, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, under the name of Zizie Izette for the same reason and place on June 19, 2015.
Meanwhile, Zizie was charged with three counts of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.
Zizie, who won best actress at the Anugerah Skrin for drama 'Aduhai Esah' in 2001, was absent from the proceedings on Friday and represented by her lawyer.
Bung passed away due to kidney failure and lung infection at 1.46am on Dec 5, last year.
