Defence trial of Bung Moktar, wife on corruption charges to begin on June 15

KUALA LUMPUR: Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, will enter their defence on charges of corruption in the Sessions Court here on June 15.

Judge Rozina Ayob set the date during the mention of the case today, which was attended by deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan and lawyers M. Athimulan and Teh See Khoon, representing Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette. respectively.

"The court needs to set the trial dates since this case has been going on for a long time. Therefore, the court set the trial to start in June on the 15th, 16th, 26th and 27th, and on July 10 to 14, 20, 21, 24 and 25," said Rozina, who also set March 27 for the next mention date.

Earlier, Athimulan informed the court that the defence would be calling six witnesses, including Bung Moktar and his wife.

Asked by Rozina about the status of the couple's appeal against a High Court's dismissal of their applications to review a Sessions Court's decision, Teh said the Court of Appeal had set March 22 for case management.

It was over the Sessions Court on Sept 2 last year in ordering Bung Moktar and his wife to enter their defence on three charges of corruption amounting to RM2.8 million involving an RM150 million investment in Public Mutual Berhad unit trust.

Last Jan 3, High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid allowed the applications by Bung Moktar, 63, and Zizie Izette, 44, to stay the defence trial pending the disposal of their appeal at the Court of Appeal.

On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar was charged with two counts of accepting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts.

He is alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual Berhad's investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette at Public Bank Taman Melawati Branch here between 12.30 pm and 5 pm 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.

Zizie Izette, meanwhile, is facing three charges of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.

-- BERNAMA