PUTRAJAYA: The corruption trial of Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, is likely to be further delayed.
Bung, the former Felcra chairman, and Zizie have been ordered to enter their defence to charges of corruption and abetment over a RM150 million Felcra investment.
Their lawyer, Teh See Khoon, said the Court of Appeal was unable to fix a hearing date for the couple’s appeal as the High Court has yet to finalise the appeal records.
“We cannot file the petition of appeal without the High Court judgment and notes of proceedings,” Teh told FMT after online case management before deputy registrar Khairi Haron today.
Deputy public prosecutors Law Chin How and Fadly Zambry appeared for the prosecution.
The court will conduct another case management on May 22.
Teh said the parties will also update sessions court judge Rozina Ayob, who is hearing the trial, when the case comes up for mention on March 27.
Last month, Rozina allocated 13 days in June and July for Bung, Zizie and four other defence witnesses to give their testimony.
Rozina said she was fixing the dates as the case had been delayed for a long time.
She had previously assigned 14 days for continued hearing, beginning Sept 26 last year, after ruling the prosecution had successfully proved a prima facie case against the couple.
However, the trial could not proceed as the High Court had stayed all proceedings pending the couple’s application for a review of the sessions court order calling for their defence.
Bung and Zizie went to the appellate court after the High Court rejected their motion for a revision of Rozina’s decision.
Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid ruled that they were wrong to file motions, supported by affidavits, saying the couple only needed to send a letter to the High Court requesting the review.
Bung faces two counts of receiving bribes amounting to RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as gratification in his capacity as Felcra chairman.
He is alleged to have done so to obtain Felcra’s approval to make a RM150 million Public Mutual unit investment in June 2015.
Zizie faces three charges of abetting him.