KUALA LUMPUR - Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was convicted on four charges of abetting in criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property and money laundering linked to RM1.12 million belonging to Armada — the youth wing of Bersatu.
Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid said the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.
The Muda president, who is formerly a youth and sports minister, was represented by counsel Gobind Singh Deo while deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin prosecuted the case.
Thirty prosecution witnesses testified in the trial which started on June 21, 2022.
On March 14 this year, the defence team closed its case after calling four witnesses, including Syed Saddiq.
On October 28 last year, Syed Saddiq, 30, was ordered to enter his defence on the four charges after the prosecution managed to establish a prima facie case against him at the end of the prosecution case
The prosecution closed its case on September 27 last year after calling 30 witnesses, who included Syed Saddiq’s parents, father Syed Abdul Rahman Abdullah Asagoff and mother Shariffah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz, as well as former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali.
Syed Saddiq, 30, was charged as the then Armada chief, with abetting Rafiq, who was entrusted with RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing, to commit a 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.
He 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 faced two counts of money laundering, 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. – The Vibes, November 9, 2023
