Malaysia MP Syed Saddiq acquitted of all graft charges
PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal has acquitted Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman in the RM1.2 million (S$360,000) graft case involving funds from Armada Bersatu on June 25.
A three-judge panel, chaired by Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, unanimously allowed Mr Syed Saddiq's appeal after finding that the trial judge had committed errors warranting intervention.
Other judges on the panel were Justices Azman Abdullah and Noorin Badaruddin.
In the decision, read by Justice Noorin, the appellate court found a lack of judicial appreciation of the defence case, resulting in non-direction by the trial judge.
'It is not sufficient for the trial judge to say he had considered or evaluated the evidence when such consideration could not be found in his judgment,' Justice Noorin stated.
Mr Syed Saddiq had been appealing against his conviction and sentence, where he faced charges of abetment to commit criminal breach of trust by misappropriating RM1mil from Armada funds; misappropriating RM120,000; and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each.
Justice Noorin noted that the abetment charge must fall as there was no evidence that the key prosecution witness, former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali, had withdrawn the RM1 million dishonestly. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Four-year-old boy falls to death from 8th-storey window in Klang
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KLANG - A four-year-old boy died after he fell out of an eight-floor flat unit in Malaysia on the morning of Aug 1 . According to South Klang deputy OCPD Kamalariffin Aman Shah said the incident occurred at the Port Klang Perantau Flats' Block J. 'At the time of the incident, the boy's father was at his workplace, and the mother was out of the house sending her second child to the babysitters,' said Supt Kamalariffin. 'The victim is believed to have fallen out of a window of his home on the eighth floor.' He added that police received a distress call reporting the incident from a woman at 8am. According to Supt Kamalariffin, the victim was rushed to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for emergency treatment and pronounced dead during treatment. He said the post-mortem results indicated that the victim had suffered head injuries as a result of falling from a height. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore SPH Media awards three journalism scholarships to budding newsroom talent Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Business Sumo Salad had valid insurance coverage for work injury claims: MOM He also added that police opened an investigation for child neglect, which comes with a jail term of not more than 20 years and a fine not exceeding RM50,000 (S$15,260). 'The police are urging members of the public, with other information pertaining to this incident, to go to the nearest police station or contact the South Klang police to help with the investigations,' he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Straits Times
Jail for woman linked to ruse involving iPhones bought with bank card details belonging to others
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Yong Huo Ying, 25, was ordered to spend a year, five months and two weeks behind bars. SINGAPORE - A Malaysian woman who helped to sell iPhones that were bought using bank card details belonging to others was given a jail sentence on Aug 1. Yong Huo Ying, 25, was ordered to spend a year, five months and two weeks behind bars after she pleaded guilty to multiple charges including four counts of cheating. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lewis Tan told the court that unknown individuals in a syndicate had recruited Yong and her accomplice, Quek Jian Qing, 21, who is also a Malaysian, in November 2024. The pair were told to travel to Singapore and buy multiple iPhones by using the 'Apple Pay' application installed on a mobile phone that would be provided to them. The application would show a virtual credit or debit card which could be used to make contactless payments. These card details belonged to other individuals. Court documents did not disclose how the syndicate got hold of such information. After buying the iPhones, Quek and Yong were tasked to sell the devices in Singapore. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Road will progressively open to motorists from Aug 2 noon World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore remains at 10% Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs from Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Business Sumo Salad had valid insurance coverage for work injury claims: MOM They then had to hand over the proceeds to a syndicate member, known only as 'MK', in Malaysia. Quek and Yong were each promised up to RM3,000 (S$910) for their roles in the ruse. Quek was in Malaysia on Nov 7, 2024 when MK handed him a Samsung mobile phone that had 'Apple Pay' pre-installed. Quek and Yong met up in Malaysia the next day, and they took Quek's car to Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint. The DPP said: 'Quek's primary role was to purchase the iPhones using the 'Apple Pay' application... while Yong's primary role was to sell the iPhones purchased by Quek.' Later that day, Quek bought an iPhone worth $1,899 at an Apple store at Marina Bay Sands and used the app to pay for it. A 39-year-old Singaporean woman's credit card details were linked to the platform, and he made the purchase without the victim's consent. The woman, identified in court documents as A1, received an SMS alert from her bank about the transaction, and she lodged a police report soon after. Using the credit card details of other victims in the 'Apple Pay' app, Quek went to other places that same day, including an Apple store in Orchard Road, and bought six more iPhones. The seven iPhones were worth more than $13,000 in total. Yong later sold two of the iPhones at a shop in Marine Parade, while Quek sold five of them. Together, they sold the seven iPhones for $1,520 each and conspired to transfer some of the sale proceeds totalling $3,040 to a Singapore bank account provided by the syndicate. The DPP told the court: 'But for the prompt intervention of the local enforcement authorities who arrested Quek and Yong as they attempted to leave Singapore for Malaysia on the same night, (the pair) would have been able to leave Singapore with the remaining proceeds – $7,600 in cash.' On Aug 1, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence Yong to at least a year, five months and two weeks' jail. He said that Yong did not buy or attempt to buy any iPhones. The syndicate also did not provide her with any devices to make such purchases, the court heard. Quek was sentenced to three years and 10 days' jail in May.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
US-Malaysia tariff deal expected after Trump-Anwar phone call on eve of Aug 1 deadline
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KUALA LUMPUR - United States President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have engaged in a long-awaited phone call on July 31, just a day ahead of Washington's Aug 1 deadline before a 25 per cent import tariff is due to apply on Malaysian products. Official sources told The Straits Times that a deal to lower the tariff rate to a maximum of 20 per cent or as low as 15 per cent 'should be' announced by Aug 1. Kuala Lumpur conceded on several issues including halal certification and the supply of rare earths, a critical mineral used in advanced technological applications. 'The call was made earlier this morning after it was proposed by the Americans just a few hours back,' said a top Malaysian government official with direct knowledge of the matter. According to several Malaysian trade and economic officials, KL is set to recognise US halal certification on several products, including pharmaceuticals. This move will likely remove the need for US products to validate their halal credentials with the Malaysian Islamic Development Department. Malaysia is also set to supply the US with rare earths elements. The country currently holds rare earths deposits of more 16 million tonnes that are worth an estimated RM1 trillion (S$302 billion). Rare earths ore mined in Malaysia are currently exported to China since Malaysia lacks the requisite technology to process it. Washington has made the pursuit of rare earths a key component of its national security strategy, as China dominates production of the mineral. Various forms of rare earths are used in a wide range of tech equipment from mobile phones and power generators to defence technology. Malaysia's equity quotas for bumiputeras -- a term used to collectively refer to its Malay majority and indigenous tribes -- was another controversial issue that emerged in Malaysia-US tariff talks. Removing such a key, long-standing aspect of Malaysian economic policy though, would not be politically tenable for the Anwar government. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Trump says US will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports under new deal Business US Fed holds rates steady despite Trump's pressure, with two governors dissenting Singapore Driver in 2024 Tampines crash that killed 2 set to plead guilty in October Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Singapore $10 million Toto results to be announced on July 31, after no winners in last 3 draws Sport Ainslee Kwang, 14, becomes first Singaporean diver to qualify for World Aquatics C'ships semi-finals Multimedia Firefly-inspired light show at Gardens By The Bay's Supertree Grove Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made The Anwar-Trump phone call occurred after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on July 30 (US time) on the ceasefire that Kuala Lumpur facilitated over the ongoing Thailand-Cambodia border dispute. Mr Anwar facilitated the successful peace talks on July 28 afer Mr Trump threatened to halt tariff negotiations with Thailand and Cambodia unless they came to the table to end the two-month-long conflict which has killed dozens.
