THE Court of Appeal has yet to fix a hearing date for Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad’s appeal in their corruption case.

The couple is challenging a Sessions Court ruling in September that they must enter a defence on charges of corruption where they are accused of soliciting RM2.8 million in bribes.

The High Court dismissed their first appeal in December.

Today, Court of Appeal deputy registrar Syahliza Warnoh set May 22 for further case management because the records of appeal have yet to be finalised.

Deputy public prosecutor Law Chin How and lawyer Teh See Khoon – representing Bung and Zizie – confirmed that a further case management date had been fixed pending the records of appeal.

Bung was originally charged on May 3, 2019, with soliciting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500, plus a further similar charge of receiving RM337,500 in cash. Zizie is charged with abetting her husband in the alleged acts.

Bung is accused of demanding payment as an inducement to obtain Felcra approval to invest RM150 million in a Public Mutual unit trust.

He is alleged to have accepted the bribes from Public Mutual Bhd’s investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid through Zizie Izette at Public Bank, Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.

He is also alleged to have received the third payment from Unit Amanah consultant Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar in Zizie’s name at the same branch on June 19, 2015

On September 2, 2022, the Sessions Court ordered the Kinabatangan MP and his wife to enter their defence on three charges of corruption.

On December 9 last year, High Court Judicial Commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid dismissed the couple’s application to review the Sessions Court decision, prompting them to take the case to the Court of Appeal.

This was after the judge allowed the prosecution’s preliminary objection to the duo’s review application.

The prosecution had argued that the duo should not file through a notice of motion but it should have been made by a letter to the High Court. – Bernama, March 22, 2023.