PUTRAJAYA: The prosecution has outlined 24 grounds in its appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad of nine corruption charges. The petition, filed at the Federal Court on June 26, seeks to reinstate the High Court’s 2021 verdict, which found Isa guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison and a RM15.45 million fine.
The prosecution contends that the appellate court wrongly overturned the High Court’s findings, which established that Isa had instructed his former aide, Muhammad Zahid Md Arip, to solicit bribes from Ikhwan Zaidel, a board member of Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd. Evidence showed that after two meetings, Isa indirectly directed Zahid to accept bribes, which were later handed over in stages.
The petition argues that the Court of Appeal misinterpreted key witness testimonies. It states, “The Judges of the Court of Appeal erred in law and in fact when they disturbed the factual finding made by the High Court judge that Mohd Isa had instructed Muhammad Zahid to request and receive bribes from Ikhwan indirectly when the respondent uttered the words ‘If they give anything later, you just take it’ to Muhammad Zahid.”
The prosecution maintains that Zahid understood the statement as an instruction to accept bribes on Isa’s behalf. However, the appellate court ruled that the words did not explicitly constitute a directive for bribery.
The case management is scheduled for this Monday. If the Federal Court sides with the prosecution, Isa could face reinstated charges related to allegedly receiving RM3.09 million in bribes linked to Felda’s RM160 million hotel purchase.
