Court of Appeal rejects Bung Moktar and wife’s bid to review decision on corruption trial

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PUTRAJAYA, May 22 — The Court of Appeal has dismissed Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad’s application for leave to review a previous ruling ordering them to enter their defence on corruption charges.

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According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), the three-member panel led by Judge Datuk Che Ruzima Ghazali ruled that the threshold for a review of the earlier decision had not been met.

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“The threshold for review is high, and as the apex court (for subordinate courts), we are cautious in exercising such power as it goes against the principle of finality.

“Such power can only be exercised in exceptional cases. Applicants must show there was injustice and that they have no alternative remedy,” Che Ruzima reportedly said, adding that the points raised by the applicants could be argued during an appeal in the High Court if the sessions court convicts them.

The panel also included Justices Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan and Datuk Ahmad Kamal Shahid.

Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad has set a nine-day hearing for the case beginning August 18.

Bung, a non-executive chairman of Felcra at the time of the alleged offences, is accused of accepting bribes totalling RM2.8 million to facilitate Felcra’s RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trusts.

He allegedly received the bribes from investment agent Norhaili Madhi through Zizie at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch in 2015.

Zizie faces three counts of abetting Bung in committing the offences.

In November last year, the Court of Appeal overturned their earlier acquittal by the High Court and ordered them to enter their defence.

FMT reported that lawyers M. Athimulan and K. Kumaraendran represented Bung and Zizie respectively, while the prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutors Law Chin How and Fadhly Zamry.
-MalayMail