KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin says he did not file a police report after he he found out his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad received RM2.8mil as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was already investigating the matter.
The Kinabatangan MP said he had no prior knowledge of his wife receiving a total of RM2.8mil and he only found out during the MACC investigation in 2016.
“I am not pretending. I really did not know and was indeed shocked,” he said here on Wednesday (Sept 3) while being cross-examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How on the second day of his defence trial involving the RM2.8mil allegedly received from two unit trust agents through his wife.
Zizie Izette is on trial together with Bung Moktar on charges of abetting him.
DPP Law had suggested that Bung Moktar did not take any action despite finding out about the money his wife took from Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar and Madhi Abdul Hamid, who are both prosecution witnesses.
“There was no action from me because the MACC had already begun its investigation, hence, it was their business,” Bung Moktar replied.
DPP Law then said that if Bung Moktar had lodged a police report, it could have have cleared his name.
Bung Moktar replied: “No, because the investigation had already begun.”
The prosecution also questioned Bung Moktar on his connection to Norhaili, saying she would not have known Bung Moktar without Zizie Izette.
However, he replied that someone else would probably have introduced Norhaili to him,
The politician said he knew that Norhaili as a unit trust agent his wife engaged for her investment but could not tell how long the two had been acquainted.
DPP Law: Do you agree with me that Norhaili got close to Zizie for business opportunities?
Bung Moktar: I am not sure.
DPP Law: Norhaili became close to Zizie, that’s why Zizie invested RM1mil.
Bung Moktar: I am not sure.
DPP Law: I put it to you, it is not easy to meet you as the Felcra chairman.
Bung Moktar: I disagree. I am a person who is easily available for anyone.
Bung Moktar, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra, was charged on May 3, 2019, with two counts of accepting bribes of RM2.2mil and RM262,500 as inducement for Felcra’s approval to invest RM150mil in Public Mutual unit trust funds.
He was alleged to have accepted bribes from Public Mutual Bhd’s investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette at Public Bank Taman Melawati Branch between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.
Zizie Izette was charged with three counts of abetting her husband over the matter at the same place, date and time.
The trial before judge Rosli Ahmad resumes on Thursday (Sept 4).
