RM2.8mil was fee for introducing Bung to deal, says widow

2026-03-05 - 07:24

Zizie Izette Abdul Samad is charged with abetting her late husband Bung Moktar Radin’s corrupt receipt of RM2.8 million in exchange for securing Felcra’s approval for a RM150 million unit trust investment in 2015. KUALA LUMPUR: The widow of former Felcra Bhd non-executive chairman Bung Moktar Radin told the sessions court here that she was paid RM2.8 million for “introducing” her late husband to a unit trust investment deal. Zizie Izette Abdul Samad said she was initially shocked when Public Mutual investment agent Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar told her during a phone call on June 11, 2015 that she would receive the sum as an “introduction fee.” “I told her that I had not done anything. However, Norhaili said it was her agency’s regular practice and marketing strategy to pay introductory fees as a token of appreciation for helping them,” Zizie said in her witness statement. Testifying in her defence, Zizie said she met Norhaili and another agent, Madhi Abdul Hamid, at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch the next day. “They informed me that Public Mutual would pay me RM2.8 million,” she said. According to Zizie, Norhaili told her that RM2.2 million would be paid in cash with the remaining RM600,000 invested in Public Mutual’s unit trust products, since she was already an investor with the firm. “Later, they informed me that they had invested RM262,500 in the Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund Account and RM337,500 in the Public Ittikal Sequel Fund Account in my name,” she said. Zizie said she did not inform Bung about the money because they had agreed to manage their business and investment affairs separately. “Since the introduction payment was related to my personal affairs, I did not feel it was necessary to inform him,” she said. Zizie dismissed suggestions that the money was corrupt payment she had collected on Bung’s behalf, and denied ever receiving any money — including the RM2.8 million — on her late husband’s behalf. “Neither did I in any way, directly or indirectly, abet, induce or encourage Bung to obtain approval from Felcra Bhd or from the finance ministry to make an investment in unit trust products,” she added. Zizie said she introduced Norhaili and Madhi to Bung sometime between late 2013 and early 2014 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, because, as a politician, he was someone people wanted to meet. Bung, a former Kinabatangan MP and Sabah Umno chief, was charged in 2019 with two counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to secure approval for RM150 million for Felcra to invest in Public Mutual unit trusts. He was accused of receiving bribes from Madhi through Zizie at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch on June 12 and June 19, 2015. He was also charged with corruptly obtaining RM337,500 in cash from Norhaili through a Public Ittikal Sequel Fund account registered under Zizie’s name, for the same purpose. In September last year, Bung took the stand to testify in his defence. However, in January, the prosecution withdrew the charge against him following his death a month earlier. Zizie is charged under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009 with abetting Bung in relation to the alleged offences. If found guilty, she faces a sentence of up to 20 years in jail and a fine not exceeding five times the gratification sum. Hearing before trial judge Rosli Ahmad continues.