KUALA LUMPUR – The high court today is slated to deliver a verdict on four criminal charges levelled against Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid is scheduled to announce his decision at 9am, after nearly seven months of deliberation since the defence team concluded their case on March 14 and both sides presented oral arguments at the close of the defence’s case on April 11.
Azhar has presided over Syed Saddiq’s case since the start of the prosecution stage, which commenced on June 20 of last year.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, and Mohd Afif Ali, who summoned over 29 witnesses to testify against the Muda founder.
Some of the key witnesses called upon by the prosecution included former Armada (Bersatu youth wing) assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali, as well as Syed Saddiq’s parents, Shariffah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz and Syed Abdul Rahman Abdullah Asagoff.
The prosecution concluded its case on September 27 of the same year. Following this, Azhar found that a prima facie case had been established against Syed Saddiq.
On October 28, the judge ordered Syed Saddiq to present his defence against all four charges.
This marked the commencement of the defence stage, with Syed Saddiq being represented by lawyers Gobind Singh Deo and Haijan Omar, beginning on February 22 of this year.
During this phase, Syed Saddiq personally took the stand to defend himself and called on three additional witnesses, namely former Armada information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin, his former special assistant Mohamed Amshar Aziz, and his former personal secretary Siti Nurul Hidayah to testify on his behalf.
The criminal case brought against Syed Saddiq garnered significant media attention when he was summoned to court in July and August of 2021 to face these charges.
The charges against the former Youth and Sports Minister in the first Pakatan Harapan government include one count of criminal breach of trust (CBT), alleging that he abetted Rafiq Hakim, who was entrusted with RM1 million of Armada’s funds, to commit the offence by misappropriating the funds. This alleged offence took place at CIMB KL Sentral on March 6, 2020.
Syed Saddiq is charged under Section 406 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, along with possible caning and a fine if found guilty.
He was also charged with one count of misappropriating Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise (ABBE) funds amounting to RM120,000, by causing Rafiq to dispose of the funds, at Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) in Taman Pandan Jaya between April 8 to 21, 2018.
This offence was framed under Section 403 of the same Code, carrying a maximum of five years imprisonment with strokes of rotan and a fine upon conviction.
He faces two charges of allegedly being engaged in money laundering involving two transactions of RM50,000, each, believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.
His money laundering charges were framed under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA), which carries a maximum of fifteen years imprisonment with a fine at least five times the sum obtained from money laundering, or RM5 million, whichever is higher upon conviction.
If Syed Saddiq is found guilty, he has the option to file an appeal against both the conviction and the imposed sentences. Additionally, he can seek a stay of the sentences and conviction while awaiting the appeal decision.
Conversely, if he is found not guilty, not only does he stand the chance to regain his freedom, but the prosecution also holds the right to file an appeal against the court’s decision. – November 9, 2023