Datuk Mohd Isa Abdul Samad will continue serving a six-year jail term and pay a RM15.45 million fine after the Federal Court dismissed his application to review its February 10, 2026 decision reinstating his conviction and sentence for corruption [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Isa Samad, aged 76 or 77, was convicted by the High Court in 2021 of nine corruption charges involving RM3.09 million in kickbacks related to Felda's purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites in Kuching, Sarawak. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment and fined RM15.45 million at that time [2, 3, 4, 5].
The Court of Appeal overturned the conviction on March 6, 2024, acquitting Isa Samad and setting aside the sentence [3, 4]. However, on February 10, 2026, the Federal Court allowed the prosecution's appeal and reinstated the original conviction, sentence, and fine. Isa Samad began serving his prison sentence at Sungai Buloh Prison that same day [1, 6, 2, 3, 4, 5].
On June 26, 2026, a three-member Federal Court panel chaired by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Azizah Nawawi and Justices Collin Lawrence Sequerah and P Ravinthran dismissed Isa Samad's review application. The court found no breach of natural justice or miscarriage of justice in its earlier decision [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Chief Judge Azizah said, "The right to appeal and the right to be heard had been fully afforded by the earlier Federal Court panel, but the applicant (Isa) chose not to utilise that opportunity. There is no miscarriage of justice where the court has provided an opportunity for the defence to submit arguments, even if the defence elects not to do so. For that reason, we find that there has been no miscarriage of justice. Accordingly, this application is hereby dismissed." [3]
Isa Samad did not submit further arguments on the merits or mitigation before the appellate panel during earlier proceedings [3, 4, 5]. He remains incarcerated at Sungai Buloh Prison.
No further appeals or reviews have been reported since the dismissal today.
