Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, the Member of Parliament for Muar, has been convicted on all counts of abetting criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds, and money laundering by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
High Court judge Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid delivered the verdict on Thursday, stating that the defense failed to raise any reasonable doubt regarding the four charges faced by Syed Saddiq.
The defense concluded its case on March 14, with Syed Saddiq and three other witnesses, including Armada Information Chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin, Mohamed Amshar Aziz, and Siti Nurul Hidayah, a former special officer and private secretary to Syed Saddiq, respectively.
A total of 29 prosecution witnesses, including Syed Saddiq’s parents and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, testified in the trial that commenced on June 21, 2022.
Deputy public prosecutors Datuk Wan Shaharudin Wan Ladin and Mohd Afif Ali handled the case, with lawyers Gobind Singh Deo and Haijan Omar representing Syed Saddiq.
The charges against Syed Saddiq involve abetting misappropriation of Armada’s funds and money laundering. The former youth and sports minister was found guilty of abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, entrusted with RM1 million of Armada’s funds, leading to a criminal breach of trust. He was also accused of misappropriating RM120,000 from Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise’s Maybank Islamic Bhd account.
Additionally, Syed Saddiq faces two counts of money laundering, involving transactions of RM50,000 each, believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities.
The verdict follows the High Court’s decision on October 28 last year, ordering Syed Saddiq to present his defense and establishing a prima facie case against him. The charges were framed under various sections of the Penal Code and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Syed Saddiq faced charges in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru Sessions Courts, with the latter permitting the joint trial of all four charges in Kuala Lumpur.
