KUALA LUMPUR – A former information chief of Bersatu’s Youth wing, Armada, told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman made no instructions for the withdrawal of RM1 million from Armada’s bank account when he was chief.
In his witness statement, Ulya Aqamah Husamudin asserted that Syed Saddiq, who is now Muda president, never ordered former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali to withdraw funds of RM1 million.
Ulya alleged that only one discussion was held to instruct Rafiq to contact Armada executive councillors for appropriate fund allocations for Covid-19 preparations, the fasting month, and Aidilfitri in 2020.
He added that there were no clandestine meetings between Syed Saddiq, Rafiq, and former assistant secretary Ahmad Redzuan Ahmad Shafi, on withdrawals of the amount.
Ulya said this as the third defence witness in the trial of Syed Saddiq for alleged abetment in relation to financial misappropriation.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said there were discrepancies in Ulya’s witness statement and another statement of his to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about the fund withdrawals.
Wan Shaharuddin pointed to snippets from a statement by Ulya on June 14, 2020 where he said that he had no knowledge of whether instructions to withdraw the funds were by Syed Saddiq.
Shaharuddin suggested that Ulya had teamed up with the defendant to make afterthought claims.
Following reexamination by defence lawyer Tiara Katrina Fuad, Ulya clarified that the discrepancies were due to different questions being asked.
For his witness statement, Ulya reiterated his claim that Syed Saddiq did not instruct the withdrawal of RM1 million during the group meetings.
He added that his uncertain statement to the MACC came about in response to a question where the agency asked if there were secret talks outside of the group meetings, which could lead to conversations of withdrawing.
Nonetheless, judge Azhar Abdul Hamid granted Wan Shaharuddin’s request to file the snippets of Ulya’s MACC statement as evidence for the trial.
Syed Saddiq had previously denied abetting with Rafiq to withdraw RM1 million – purporting it was implausible to have secret meetings with either Rafiq or Ahmad Redzuan without being heard by other members of the group, due to the group’s open discussion area.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Amshar Aziz, the second defence witness, affirmed that the funds in the Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise (ABBE) bank account belonged to Syed Saddiq.
Amshar, who was a member of Syed Saddiq’s campaign team, said that the funds in the account were proceeds from the former youth and sports minister’s fundraising for his 14th general election campaign.
Amshar is set to be further cross-examined in the next trial session.
Syed Saddiq is being tried for abetting a former Armada assistant treasurer to commit a criminal breach of trust, and for misusing party contributions amounting to RM120,000 belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise.
He is also facing two charges of money laundering, in two transactions of RM50,000 each, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The trial resumes on March 13. – The Vibes, February 24, 2023
