KUALA LUMPUR (March 5): Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s widow, Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, claims she was shocked that she was paid millions in 'fees' by mutual fund agents for introducing them to her husband.
Taking the stand in her graft trial, Zizie testified that it was not unusual for her friends to want to meet her husband due to his charisma and renown in the politics.
"There were too many who wished to meet him due to his charisma and who he was as a person," Zizie said, adding that she didn't second guess when Public Mutual agent Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar asked for an introduction to her (now deceased) husband.
In this case, Zizie is facing three charges of abetting the late Bung Moktar, who at that material time was the non-executive chairman of Felcra and had been charged with accepting bribes of RM2.8 million from the agents through Zizie.
The prosecution claims that it was a gratification to obtain Felcra’s approval to make a RM150 million investment in the Public Mutual unit trust.
Zizie says didn't ask for 'fee'
On Thursday, Zizie testified that Norhaili had told her that the monies were an “introductory fee”. The former actress also resolutely denied any knowledge that the monies were kickbacks for the agents securing Felcra investments.
When asked by the prosecution on why someone would be paid a "fee" for a seemingly friendly introduction to a family member, Zizie retorted that the prosecution would have to ask the agent that themselves.
"You have to ask Norhaili. I never asked; she gave [me the money]," the 47-year-old mother-of-four replied.
When asked why she did not reject the "fee", Zizie answered that she had posed questions to the agent over the source of the fund and given it thought before accepting it.
"I questioned the source of the money. [Norhaili] said it was from commissions. After some thought, I did not see anything untoward [about it], so I accepted the monies," she said in court.
In her written witness statement, Zizie had said that Felcra had invested in Public Mutual unit trust products and that Norhaili, along with her colleague Madhi Abdul Hamid, wanted to give her the money for introducing Felcra to them.
"I was shocked. I told her that I had done nothing. However, [Norhaili] stated that it was her agency's normal practice and marketing strategy to give introductory money as a token of appreciation for helping them with social networking," her witness statement read.
She also testified that she did not mention anything about the funds to her late husband.
In her statement, Zizie said that despite being married, she and Bung Moktar maintained their own financial affairs, without the other's interference. She added that she needed, and placed importance on financial independence, as she saw how her single-mother had suffered to provide for her family following Zizie's father's demise.
Zizie was charged in May 2019 with abetting Bung Moktar in accepting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 from Mahdi, and RM337,500 from Norhaili.
Bung Moktar and Zizie were called to enter their defence in September 2022. Following numerous postponements due to pending applications, the duo's defence finally began in September last year, with Bung Moktar taking the stand.
The prosecution, however, withdrew the charge against Bung Moktar following his death on Dec 5 last year. Bung Moktar had already completed his testimony in this case before his death.