KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here has fixed November 25 to hear an application by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is facing charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering, to transfer the cases from the sessions court to the high court.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Asraf Mohamed Tahir said that the court set the date today after the matter came up for case management before high court deputy registrar Catherine Nicholas.
“The application will be heard before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan in an open court,” he said.
On August 19, the former youth and sports minister had applied for his cases to be transferred to the high court from the sessions court on the grounds that constitutional issues will arise, and it is more appropriate to have the trial in the high court.
In a notice of application filed through the law firm Haijan Omar & Co, Syed Saddiq, 29, also requested that all case proceedings in the sessions court be adjourned pending the outcome of the application.
Regarding the CBT charge, Syed Saddiq was charged in his capacity as then Armada chief, the youth wing of Bersatu, who was entrusted with the Armada’s fund, to have committed the offence by withdrawing RM1 million from the fund via a CIMB Bank Berhad cheque without the permission of Bersatu’s supreme council.
He was alleged to have committed the offence at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, here on March 6, last year.
The charge, framed under Section 405 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 406 of the same law, provides imprisonment for up to 10 years with whipping and is liable to a fine if found guilty.
Syed Saddiq was also charged with misusing RM120,000 in contributions for the GE14 campaign raised through a Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise.
The offence was allegedly committed at Maybank Islamic Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya, between April 8 and April 21, 2018.
He will face imprisonment of up to five years with whipping and is liable to fine if found guilty of the offence, which is framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code.
On August 5, at the Johor Baru sessions court, Syed Saddiq was charged with two counts of engaging in money-laundering activities, namely two transactions of RM50,000, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.
He was alleged to have committed the act at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru on June 16 and June 19, 2018.
The charges were framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which is punishable under Section 4(1) of the same act, providing maximum imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of proceeds of illegal activities. – Bernama, August 25, 2021
