LATE BUNG MOKTAR FREED OF CORRUPTION CHARGES, TRIAL AGAINST WIDOW TO PROCEED

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- The Sessions Court here today acquitted and discharged former Kinabatangan Member of Parliament, the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, of three corruption charges involving RM2.8 million in bribes.

The bribes were allegedly for securing approval for FELCRA Berhad to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual Berhad unit trust products.

Judge Rosli Ahmad made the ruling after Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How informed the court that the prosecution did not intend to proceed with the case following Bung Moktar’s death 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 order the first accused to be acquitted and discharged of all charges and bail (RM100,000) and the passport to be returned to the surety," said Rosli during the mention of the case today.

However,  the trial against Bung Moktar’s widow, Datin Seri Zizie Izette A. Samad, for abetting her husband in relation to the same offences, will proceed.

Law said the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) rejected her representation to drop the charges.

The court set March 5, 6 and 12 for the hearing.

 Zizie Izette, represented by lawyer Teh See Khoon, was supposed to enter her defence last Jan 12, but the proceedings were postponed and set for mention today.

Bung Moktar commenced entering his defence on Sept 2 last year.

In today's proceedings, Zizie Izette was exempted from attending, while lawyer Ashok Athimulan represented the late Bung Moktar.

On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra Berhad, was charged with two counts of receiving RM2.2 million and RM262,500 in bribes as inducement to secure approval for Felcra’s RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trusts.

He was accused of receiving the bribes from Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through his wife, Zizie Izette, 46, at Public Bank Berhad, Taman Melawati branch here, on June 12 and 19, 2015.

Bung Moktar was also charged with corruptly obtaining RM337,500 from another Public Mutual investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, through the Public Ittikal Sequel Fund (PITSEQ) account registered under Zizie Izette’s name, for the same purpose.

The charges were framed under Subsection 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, which provides for a prison term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Zizie Izette faces three charges of abetting her husband in connection with the same matters at the same places, dates, and times, under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act, which provides the same punishment.

-- BERNAMA