Syed Saddiq’s Fate To Be Known Tomorrow, Whether Acquitted Or Imprisoned

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision on whether Muar Member of Parliament, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman remains a free man or is sentenced to imprisonment on four charges of abetting criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property and money laundering involving Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (ARMADA) funds will be known tomorrow.

This is because the Federal Court in Putrajaya is scheduled to deliver its final decision regarding the prosecution’s appeal against Syed Saddiq’s acquittal tomorrow, after the judgment was postponed on June 30 when one of the three panel judges fell ill.

The three-member Federal Court panel comprising Court of Appeal President, Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Jais, Justice Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is expected to deliver its decision on Syed Saddiq, who is also a former Youth and Sports Minister, at 9 am.

Throughout the appeal proceedings, the prosecution team was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors, Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib and Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan, while Syed Saddiq was represented by lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.

The prosecution appealed against the Court of Appeal’s decision on June 25 last year, which acquitted and discharged Syed Saddiq, 33, after allowing his appeal to set aside the conviction and sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, two strokes of the cane and a RM10 million fine imposed by the High Court on November 9, 2023.

Syed Saddiq was charged with abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, who was then ARMADA’s Assistant Treasurer, to commit criminal breach of trust involving ARMADA funds amounting to RM1 million at CIMB Bank Berhad, KL Sentral on March 6, 2020.

The charge was made under Section 406 of the Penal Code, which upon conviction carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, whipping and a fine.

In addition, Syed Saddiq also faced a charge of misappropriating RM120,000 belonging to ARMADA Bumi Bersatu Enterprise under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which upon conviction carries a penalty of imprisonment of between six months and five years, whipping and a fine.

He was also charged with committing two money laundering transactions, namely transferring RM50,000 into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which upon conviction carries a penalty of up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to five times the value involved.

Berita Harian