MOHD ISA’S ACQUITTAL APPEAL HEARING RESCHEDULED TO DEC 4

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- The prosecution's appeal hearing against the acquittal of former FELDA chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad on nine corruption charges has been rescheduled to Dec 4 at the Federal Court.

Deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz said the new hearing date was set during a case management session conducted via Zoom before deputy registrar Mahyun Yusof yesterday.

"The appeal hearing was initially scheduled to commence on Oct 29 but has been rescheduled as the respondent (Mohd Isa) has appointed new legal counsel," he said when contacted by Bernama today.

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Mohd Isa has appointed the legal firm of Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak to represent him in the appeal, replacing his previous solicitors, Salehuddin Saidin & Associates.

Previously, lawyer Datuk Salehuddin Saidin had represented Mohd Isa in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal before he was appointed a Dewan Negara Senator.

The prosecution filed a notice of appeal on March 7, followed by a petition for appeal on June 26, advancing 24 grounds of appeal, contending that the Court of Appeal erred in both law and fact when it acquitted and discharged Mohd Isa. 

On March 6, 2024, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously set aside the conviction as well as six years imprisonment and RM15.45 million fine imposed upon him.

The panel was chaired by Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera (now a Federal Court Judge) and comprised Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk S M Komathy Suppiah. 

This decision followed their granting of the appeal lodged by the former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar, which overturned the High Court ruling and sentence on Feb 3, 2021.

In 2018, Mohd Isa, 75, was accused of nine counts of receiving RM3.09 million in bribes from Ikhwan Zaidel, then a director of Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd, via his former special officer, Muhammad Zahid Md Arip.

The payment was purportedly made as an inducement for approving the purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites in Kuching by FELDA Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd for RM160 million.

The offences were alleged to have taken place at Level 49, Menara FELDA, Persiaran KLCC, between July 21, 2014, and Dec 11, 2015.

He was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

-- BERNAMA