KUALA LUMPUR – Lawyers representing Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman have apologised to the high court here following a public statement made by Muda vice-president and lawyer Lim Wei Jiet.
Defence lawyer Haijan Omar told the court that the incident will not recur while judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid reminded all parties to “let the evidence speak for itself”, reported Malaysiakini.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin applied for a reprimand over Lim’s statement on Syed Saddiq’s money laundering trial.
“I do not wish to cite for contempt but only a reprimand because we all are adults,” Wan Shaharuddin was quoted as saying.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on June 24 lodged a police report over the statement, citing contempt of court.
After the apology, court proceedings continued with the testimony by eighth prosecution witness and Bersatu Youth (Armada) member Muhammad Naqib Ab Rahim.
Syed Saddiq used to head Armada before the fall of the Pakatan Harapan administration in late February 2020.
According to the first charge, Syed Saddiq, 29, is accused as the then Armada chief – who was entrusted with control of the wing’s funds – of abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, its assistant treasurer at the time, with criminal breach of trust of RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing.
He is alleged to have committed the offence at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, here, on March 6, 2020, and is charged under Section 406 of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to 10 years with whipping, and is liable to a fine, if found guilty.
For the second charge, the Muar MP is accused of misusing property for himself, namely RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq to dispose of the money.
Syed Saddiq is accused of having committed the offence at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya here between April 8 and 21, 2018, and charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum jail term of six months and a maximum of five years with whipping and is punishable by a fine, if convicted.
He also faces 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.
Syed Saddiq is accused of committing the offence at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.
The charges are 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 law and provides for maximum imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the proceeds of illegal activities, upon conviction. – The Vibes, July 4, 2022
