THE fate of Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will be decided tomorrow (July 13) when the Federal Court delivers its final ruling on the prosecution’s appeal against his acquittal on four charges involving funds belonging to Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (ARMADA).
The decision, which could determine whether the former Youth and Sports Minister remains a free man or faces imprisonment, will be delivered at the Federal Court in Putrajaya after proceedings were postponed on June 30 when one of the three judges on the panel took medical leave.
The three-member panel, comprising Court of Appeal President Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Jais, Federal Court judge Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, is scheduled to deliver the verdict at 9am.
During the appeal proceedings, the prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib and Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan, while Syed Saddiq was represented by lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.
The prosecution had appealed against the Court of Appeal’s decision on June 25 last year, which acquitted and discharged Syed Saddiq, 33, after allowing his appeal to overturn the conviction and sentence imposed by the High Court on November 9, 2023.
The High Court had previously sentenced Syed Saddiq to seven years’ imprisonment, two strokes of the cane and a RM10 million fine after finding him guilty of the offences.
Syed Saddiq was charged with abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, then ARMADA assistant treasurer, in committing criminal breach of trust involving RM1 million from ARMADA funds held at CIMB Bank Berhad, KL Sentral, on March 6, 2020.
The charge was framed under Section 406 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
He also faced a charge of misusing RM120,000 belonging to ARMADA Bumi Bersatu Enterprise under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which carries imprisonment of between six months and five years, whipping and a fine.
In addition, Syed Saddiq was charged with two counts of money laundering involving the transfer of RM50,000 into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
A conviction under the provision carries a maximum imprisonment term of 15 years and a fine of up to five times the amount involved. - July 12, 2026
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