KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — The joint corruption trial of Umno’s Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his actress wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette A. Samad kicked off in the Sessions Court today.

Bung Moktar was charged last May with three counts of receiving bribes totalling RM2.8 million as director of Felcra Berhad in 2015 as a "reward” to obtain approval from the Finance Minister II for the government-owned corporation to make a RM150 million investment in Public Mutual Berhad's investment trust products.

However, today the prosecution amended a word in the charge sheets against the Umno lawmaker today, changing "reward” (upah in Malay) to "inducement” (dorongan).

Similar changes were made to charges against Zizie who is accused of abetting her husband in committing the offence by using a bank account under her name for the cash transactions.

The couple who wore matching pastel pink tops under their dark blazers remained calm in the dock amid amendments to their charges under under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

Federal Territories Islamic Department (JAWI) Assistant Director Mohd Abd Nasir Abdullah was called as the prosecution’s first witness today to confirm that marriage between Bung Moktar and Zizie had fully followed and complied with the due processes under Shariah law.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Roslan Mat Nor, Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry and Abdul Rashid Sulaiman tendered the couple’s original marriage certificate as evidence.

Mohd Abd Nasir was then asked to verify the authenticity of the marriage certificate and confirm signatures of witnesses from the marriage ceremony.

Defence lawyers for Bung Moktar and Zizie, Datuk K. Kumaraendran and MM Athimulan did not cross examine the first witness.

The trial resumes tomorrow morning.