The Sessions Court here on Friday discharged and acquitted former Kinabatangan Member of Parliament, the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, of three corruption charges involving a total of RM2.8 million.
Judge Rosli Ahmad made the ruling after the prosecution informed the court that it did not intend to proceed with the case against Bung Moktar.
However, proceedings against his widow, Datin Seri Zizie Izette A. Samad, will continue after the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) rejected her representation to drop the charge of abetment.
The court fixed March 5, 6 and 12 for the continuation of Zizie Izette’s trial.
Bung Moktar, the former Sabah Umno chief, was confirmed to have passed away at 1.46am on Dec 5, 2025. His death was announced by his son, Naim Kurniawan, in a Facebook post.
The 66-year-old politician had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu after suffering from kidney failure and a severe lung infection.
On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra, was charged with two counts of receiving cash bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to secure Felcra’s approval for a RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trust funds.
He was alleged to have received the bribes from Public Mutual Berhad investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through his wife, Zizie Izette, and into the Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund account in her name.
The offences were allegedly committed at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch here between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015, and at 12.16pm on June 19 of the same year.
For the third charge, Bung Moktar was accused of receiving RM337,500 in cash from unit trust consultant Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, in Zizie Izette’s name, at the same location on June 19, 2015, at 12.28pm.
The charges were brought under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which carries a sentence of up to 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.
Meanwhile, Zizie Izette continues to face three charges of abetment in connection with the same offences, involving the same location, dates, and times.
