THE defence team representing Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has submitted arguments to the Federal Court, insisting that the prosecution’s appeal against the politician’s acquittal is without merit and should be dismissed.
The appeal concerns the prosecution’s attempt to overturn the acquittal of Syed Saddiq, 33, who was cleared of four charges relating to the misappropriation of funds belonging to the youth wing of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Armada) seven years ago.
His initial conviction had carried a seven-year prison sentence, two strokes of the rotan, and a RM10 million fine.
In a letter submitted to the Deputy Registrar on Thursday, the defence, represented by Mustafa Ling & Co, requested that the three-judge panel maintain the Court of Appeal’s decision that freed the Johor-born parliamentarian.
The submission referenced advice from the President of the Court of Appeal, who, as head of a three-judge panel on December 12, encouraged both the prosecution and defence to reassess their positions on the proceedings.
“The respondents are grateful for the concern and appreciate the wisdom of the judges in providing this guidance,” the defence said in its letter, adding that they had reviewed the advice and discussed it with the prosecution and their client.
“We submit that the prosecution’s appeal in this case is without merit, as argued during the previous hearing. The respondents leave it to the panel’s discretion to reach a fair and just decision for all parties,” the letter stated.
The Federal Court’s unusual move on December 12, when it neither delivered a judgment nor set a new hearing date, drew significant public attention.
In an unprecedented step, the panel of three judges, chaired by Datuk Abu Bakar Jais alongside Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, gave both parties a week to ‘cool off’ and review their positions before deciding whether to proceed with the appeal.
Following this period, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed that it would proceed with the appeal, in accordance with the Attorney General’s direction. Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar instructed that the appeal move forward and that any decision of the court must be respected.
Syed Saddiq had originally been sentenced on November 9, 2023, by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to seven years’ imprisonment, two rotan strokes, and a RM10 million fine after being found guilty of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and money laundering involving Armada funds.
The Court of Appeal, however, acquitted and released him on June 25, 2025, ruling unanimously that directing someone to release funds did not constitute the misappropriation of money.
The charges against Syed Saddiq include conspiring with Rafiq Hakim Razali, then Assistant Treasurer of Armada, to misappropriate RM1 million, as well as allegedly misusing RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic account of Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise (ABBE).
Two additional money laundering charges involve transferring RM50,000 each from his Maybank Islamic account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account, which were claimed to be proceeds from unlawful activities.
If convicted, Syed Saddiq could have faced a maximum of 15 years in prison and fines up to five times the amount involved in the illicit transactions. The case continues to unfold before Malaysia’s highest court, with the Federal Court now tasked with deciding the fate of the prosecution’s appeal. - December 19, 2025
