KUALA LUMPUR – Former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad will know his fate on January 31 next year after the Court of Appeal set a new date to deliver its verdict on his guilty conviction and sentences.
Yesterday, it was reported that the court had postponed its proceedings today without disclosing its reasons for doing so.
The three-member bench comprising Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk S.M. Komathy, on October 14, had reserved their judgment on Isa’s appeal after hearing submissions from the prosecution and defence.
Isa had filed an appeal on February 4, 2021, a day after Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali (now Court of Appeal judge) found him guilty of nine bribery charges amounting to RM3 million in relation to Felda’s acquisition of Merdeka Palace Hotel and Suites in Kuching on February 3 the same year.
Nazlan also sentenced Isa to six years’ jail for each charge, which would run concurrently, and a fine of RM15.45 million. The judge also ordered Isa to serve another 18 years in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
However, Isa was released on RM1.5 million bail pending his appeal and he was ordered to report himself to the nearest police station on the first of every month.
On November 3 this year, deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz said the Court of Appeal had scheduled to deliver its verdict on November 28. – November 28, 2023