KUALA LUMPUR – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had never told anyone that proceeds from two Bersatu Youth (Armada) fund-raising programmes were meant to reimburse him for an advance he gave to the party for the 14th general election (GE14) campaign, the high court was told today.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said as a prudent and educated man, Syed Saddiq should have told former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali, who was managing Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise’s (ABBE) accounts, about this.
The two fund-raising programmes were the “Makan Amal Muo” and “Fundraising Battle for Johor” programmes held on April 7 and 8, 2018 respectively, which raised RM120,000 in total.
“If it is true proceeds from the events were meant for campaign activities, why wasn’t the money deposited into the accounts of ABBE and only withdrawn for Syed Saddiq when he wanted to use it? Any balance could then be used by other Armada members for the party’s interests.
“However, Syed Saddiq instructed for the whole RM120,000 to be transferred directly into his personal Maybank account,” he said when submitting at the end of Syed Saddiq’s defence case on four charges of abetment in committing criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of assets, and money laundering.
Wan Shaharuddin said the court should make a finding based on Syed Saddiq’s behaviour from early on, which clearly showed his intention to misappropriate the fundraising proceeds of RM120,000 for himself.
He further contended that Syed Saddiq’s defence was a mere denial without any support as throughout the defence proceedings he did not deny communication between him and Rafiq Hakim on the instruction to transfer RM120,000 to the personal Maybank account of the accused.
“The accused also did not deny that Rafiq Hakim had made four transfers amounting to RM120,000 on April 8, 11, 12, and 21, 2018.
“He also did not deny that the money said to be proceeds from fundraising events was never spent on the GE14 campaign and that RM100,000 was transferred in two transactions into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account on June 16 and 19, 2018,” he added.
The prosecution closed its case on September 27 last year after calling 30 witnesses in the trial. The prosecution witnesses included Syed Saddiq’s parents, Shariffah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz and Syed Abdul Rahman Abdullah Asagoff, and Rafiq Hakim.
On October 28 last year, the court ordered Syed Saddiq to enter his defence on the four charges after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case.
The former youth and sports minister testified in his own defence for two days from February 22 this year and five other individuals also gave evidence as defence witnesses, including former Armada information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin, and Syed Saddiq’s former special officer Mohamed Amshar Aziz and former private secretary Siti Nurul Hidayah.
Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid will deliver his judgment on a date yet to be fixed.
Syed Saddiq, 30, was charged as the then Armada chief with abetting Rafiq Hakim, who was entrusted with RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing, to commit criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the funds at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2 here on March 6, 2020.
The Johor Baru-born Syed Saddiq was also charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya here between April 8 and 21, 2018.
He also faces two counts of engaging in money-laundering activities, namely 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 at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru, on June 16 and 19, 2018. – Bernama, April 11, 2023
