[UPDATED] Syed Saddiq claims trial to CBT, misusing campaign funds

KUALA LUMPUR – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has claimed trial to criminal breach of trust at the sessions court here.

After being read his charge, he pleaded not guilty at court to allegedly misappropriating RM1 million belonging to his former party Bersatu. He was its youth chief before the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government late February last year.

He is accused of doing so on March 6 last year via a CIMB Bank cheque, at the bank’s branch in KL Sentral without obtaining permission from Bersatu supreme council.

If found guilty under Section 405 of the Penal Code, Section 406 provides a jail term not exceeding 10 years and with whipping, and also be liable to fine.

He is also charged with misusing a RM120,000 donation for the 2018 general election campaign, to which he also pleaded not guilty.

The election donation had been collected via a Maybank Islamic account owned by Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise.

According to the charge, he is accused of misusing the donation between April 8 and 21, 2018 at the Maybank Islamic outlet in Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya.

If guilty, he faces a jail term of between six months and five years with whipping and liable to a fine under Section 403 of the Penal Code.

The prosecution is presented by MACC’s Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah, Muhammad Asraf Mohamed Tahir and Mohd ‘Afif Ali.

The court has set September 10 for case mention.

Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq is expected to face additional charges in Johor Baru and the prosecution seeks to have them tried together at the sessions court here.

The prosecution has requested for judge Azura Alwi to impose a RM500,000 bail with one surety on the accused, to surrender his passport, and to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

It also applied to have the court issue a gag order on Syed Saddiq on grounds of sub judice.

This, however, received objection from the defence, citing that the bail is set too high, and it should have it set at RM300,000.

Later, the court allowed Syed Saddiq to post a bail of RM330,000 with one surety for both charges – RM300,000 bail for the CBT charge and RM30,000 bail for the second charge. 

A total of RM80,000 has to be paid today and the remaining sum to be settled next Tuesday.

Syed Saddiq is also ordered to surrender his passport and report to MACC every month until his case ends.

His lawyers also contended the gag order proposed by the prosecution.

Gobind Singh Deo was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia today that: “If this offence is serious, as claimed by the prosecution, why is he only charged now? The consent to prosecute was signed in January, and he is only charged now, a few days before Parliament is to resume?

“There is no complaint of him tampering with potential witnesses. It is a wild allegation.”

Gobind also told the court that the prosecution has no reason to ask for a gag order to stop Syed Saddiq from talking about his case.

Investigations into the case began in June last year after it was reported that the lawmaker lodged a police report following the loss of RM250,000 in his possession.

He had said the monies, which went missing from his home in Petaling Jaya, belonged to him and his parents.

Syed Saddiq’s appearance this morning at the sessions court here attracted plenty of media attention and support from several opposition lawmakers.

Among those spotted were his colleagues from Muda, which he co-founded, PKR’s Chua Tian Chang and Fahmi Fadzil, and DAP’s Hannah Yeoh, as the former youth and sports minister arrived at 9.03am.

Syed Saddiq is represented by Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Haijan Omar.

Yesterday, Syed Saddiq was reported to court to face charges of misappropriating funds, but Muda asserts that the action against him was political in nature.

Muda secretary-general Amir Abd Hadi had said the charges that Syed Saddiq is expected to face today are related to the disbursement of funds for “Covid-19 relief and Hari Raya” last year.

“It has been made clear that the monies did not make their way into the Muar MP’s accounts. The charges are political in nature.

“The prosecution could have been done swiftly with all the witnesses called up last year.”

This method was used to try and pressure the lawmaker into supporting the Perikatan Nasional administration when it came to voting in Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun, Budget 2021 and the upcoming special parliamentary meet, he said in a statement today.

Despite this, he said, the Muda founder has been firm in not supporting PN.

“There is evidence to prove that these things happened, which will be presented in court.

The allegation that funds have been misappropriated is evil and untrue.”

Amir added that Syed Saddiq would rather be dragged to court than back PN, which is governing without the people’s mandate.

Berani kerana benar.

It is in moments like this that i am reminded why i joined Politics.

Truth will always prevail.

Saya lebih rela masuk mahkamah dari masuk Perikatan Nasional.

Bring it on!

Jumpa di Mahkamah KL esok 8pagi & Live FB/insta 8PM untuk pendedahan saya.#Lawan pic.twitter.com/sinWaupIOp

— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 21, 2021

Syed Saddiq took to social media last night to reveal that he is the former minister to be charged, defiantly saying he would rather go to court than join PN.

Calling the action against him politically motivated, he said he regularly receives threats to join the ruling pact before important votes in Parliament.

His court appearance today comes days before the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes on Monday for a special session.

“I will never sell my soul and principles to PN,” he said in a video uploaded to Twitter.

“At 8.30am, I will go to the Kuala Lumpur court. And at 8pm, I will have a press conference via Facebook and Instagram.

“It’s in moments like these that I am reminded why I joined politics. The truth will always prevail. I would rather go to court than join PN.” – The Vibes, July 21, 2021