High Court to decide if Syed Saddiq walks free or enters defence

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will deliver its decision tomorrow on whether incumbent Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will be acquitted or ordered to enter his defence against charges of abetting in criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of assets and money laundering.

Judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid is scheduled to deliver the decision at 9.30am.

If the decision favours the prosecution in that it is able to prove a prima facie case against Syed Saddiq, the court will order the former youth and sports minister to enter his defence. Otherwise, Syed Saddiq will walk free.

On Sept 27, the prosecution closed its case after calling 30 witnesses in the trial which began on May 21.

The witnesses included Syed Saddiq’s parents – Shariffah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz and Syed Abdul Rahman Abdullah Asagoff – and Rafiq Hakim, the former assistant treasurer of the Bersatu Youth wing, as well as Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officers Nurul Hidayah Kamarudin, Syahmeizy Sulong and Asbi Munip.
 
Deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Mohd ‘Afif Ali prosecuted, while lawyers Gobind Singh Deo and Haijan Omar represented Syed Saddiq.

Syed Saddiq, 29, was charged as the then Bersatu Youth chief, entrusted with tge control of its funds, with abetting Rafiq Hakim in CBT involving RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, on March 6, 2020.

The charge, framed under Section 406 of the Penal Code, provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years with whipping, with the possibility of a fine, upon conviction.

Syed Saddiq was also charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code with misusing RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise for himself by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya, between April 8 and 21, 2018.

If convicted, he faces imprisonment of up to five years, a whipping and the possibility of a fine. 

He also faces two counts of engaging in money laundering activities through two transactions of RM50,000 each, believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputra account at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.

The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 which provides for imprisonment of up to 15 years with the possibility of a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of the unlawful activity.