RM2.8 million 'introduction fee' given voluntarily, lawfully - Zizie Izette
She said she was surprised when the 25th and 24th prosecution witnesses offered her the money as a token of appreciation for helping them expand their social network.
KUALA LUMPUR - Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, widow of former Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, told the Sessions Court today that the RM2.8 million ‘introduction fee’ she received from two Public Mutual Berhad investment agents was given voluntarily and lawfully.
Zizie Izette, 47, said she was surprised when Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar (25th prosecution witness) and Madhi Abdul Hamid (24th prosecution witness) offered her the money as a token of appreciation for helping them expand their social network.
"I was surprised… I told her (Norhaili) that I did nothing. However, Elly (Norhaili) said it was a common practice within her agency and part of its marketing strategy,” said the second defence witness.
She said this while reading her witness statement during the defence trial, in which she faces three charges of abetting Bung Moktar in an RM2.8 million corruption case before Judge Rosli Ahmad.
On Jan 16, the Sessions Court here acquitted Bung Moktar of the three corruption charges after the prosecution decided not to proceed with the case following his death on Dec 5, 2025.
In response to a question by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry regarding the RM2.8 million introduction fee, the former actress said she did not reject the money.
"Before accepting it, I asked repeatedly (Norhaili) where the money came from and how it was obtained. After considering everything, I did not reject it," she said.
Mohamad Fadhly: This is the first time in court that Datin Seri (Zizie Izette) has said that you did not reject the money from Norhaili.
Zizie Izette: After Norhaili convinced me… yes, I did not reject the money and agreed (to accept)
However, Zizie Izette disagreed with Mohamad Fadhly’s suggestion that she knew the money was a bribe rather than an introduction fee.
During re-examination, defence counsel Ridha Abdah Subri asked why Zizie Izette agreed with the prosecution’s suggestion that she had not rejected the money.
She replied: "After considering everything and hearing Elly’s explanation that the source of the money was her commission from Public Mutual, I did not see anything wrong with it and therefore accepted it willingly."
She also told the court that she never gave the money to her husband and had never informed him about it, denying that she had abetted her husband in any wrongdoing.
Zizie Izette said she and her husband had an understanding to manage their finances separately, noting that they kept separate safes at home and did not maintain joint bank accounts.
She added that she had never known about nor asked her husband about matters related to Felcra Bhd.
"I have never, in any way, directly or indirectly abetted, encouraged or prompted my husband to obtain approval from Felcra Bhd or from the then Minister of Finance II for Felcra Bhd to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trust products," she said.
For the first charge, Zizie Izette is accused of abetting Bung Moktar, who was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra Berhad, in obtaining a RM2.2 million cash bribe from Madhi.
The act was allegedly committed as an inducement for Bung Moktar to secure approval from the then Finance Minister II for Felcra Berhad to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trust products.
For the second charge, she is accused of abetting Bung Moktar in receiving RM262,500 from Madhi through the Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund (PITGF) account registered under her name for the same purpose.
She also faces a third charge of abetting Bung Moktar in receiving RM337,500 from Norhaili through the Public Ittikal Sequel Fund (PITSEQ) account registered under her name.
All the offences were allegedly committed at Public Bank Berhad, Taman Melawati branch here on June 12 and June 19, 2015.
The charges are framed under Section 28(1)(c) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. - BERNAMA
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