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THE corruption trial of Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Datin Seri Zizie Izette A. Samad, has been postponed to January next year following a request for deferment in light of the upcoming Sabah state election.
The defence proceedings, originally scheduled for 27 November and 3 December, were vacated after the Sessions Court here granted the couple’s application. Judge Rosli Ahmad fixed new hearing dates from 12 to 14 January 2026.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry informed the court that the prosecution received a letter on 14 November from the defence counsel seeking the adjournment due to the 17th Sabah General Election, which will be held on 29 November.
“Given the circumstances, the court allows the postponement of the trial dates and sets the new hearing from 12 to 14 January 2026,” the judge said.
During the proceedings, Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette were represented by defence counsel Ridha Abdah Subri.
Bung Moktar, 65, who also serves as the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman, is expected to contest the Lamag state seat, which he has held since 2020.
The charges against him stem from his tenure as Felcra Berhad’s non-executive chairman. He faces three counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.8 million in connection with Felcra’s RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trusts.
According to the first two charges, Bung Moktar allegedly received RM2.2 million and RM262,500 in bribes from Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through his wife, Zizie Izette, at Public Bank Taman Melawati between 12.30 pm and 5 pm on 12 June 2015.
A third charge accuses him of corruptly receiving RM337,500 in cash from another Public Mutual investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, through the Public Ittikal Sequel Fund (PITSEQ) account registered under Zizie Izette’s name on 17 June 2015.
The charges were framed under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Zizie Izette, 46, faces three related charges of abetting her husband under Section 28(1)(c) of the same Act, which carries the same penalties. - November 13, 2025