PUTRAJAYA: The case management of prosecution's appeal against the High Court's acquittal of the RM2.8 million corruption charges against Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife today had to be postponed to January next year.
Deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How said this was because the records of appeal and grounds of judgement were not ready. He said this after the e-review proceedings at the Court of Appeal today.
"The new mention date for the case management is fixed for Jan 12, 2024," he said.
Bung Moktar and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abd Samad, were represented by counsel Teh See Koon.
On Sept 19, the prosecution confirmed it had filed an appeal against the High Court's dismissal of corruption against Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette.
On Sept 7, High Court judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid acquitted and discharged the couple after allowing their applications for a revision against the Sessions Court's decision ordering them to enter their defence.
Azhar had said the Sessions Court judge erred in ordering the accused to enter their defence on Sept 2, last year.
He had said the court found that there was no evidence that two witnesses — Public Mutual agents Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar and Madhi Abdul Hamid — had given money to Bung Moktar through his wife.
The Sessions Court, on Sept 2, last year, had ordered the couple to enter their defence after deeming that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against them.
On Dec 9 last year, the same High Court dismissed the couple's application for revision of the Sessions Court's decision, prompting them to appeal to the Appellate Court.
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 was alleged to have accepted bribes from Public Mutual Bhd's investment agent Madhi through Zizie Izette at Public Bank's Taman Melawati Branch here 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, under the name of Zizie Izette, for the same reason and at the same place on June 19, 2015.
Zizie Izette, meanwhile, was facing three charges of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.