Appeals Court acquits Syed Saddiq of CBT, misappropriation, money laundering charges
THE Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman of four charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of property and money laundering linked to funds from Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada).
A three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin allowed Syed Saddiq's appeal to overturn his conviction and sentence of seven years' jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 mil fine imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Nov 9, 2023.
'We find that the prosecution failed to prove the abetment charge against the appellant (Syed Saddiq).
'The evidence presented was not credible and did not support the misappropriation charge under Section 403. Additionally, the money laundering charges under AMLA could not be sustained.
'Therefore, the appellant is acquitted and discharged of all charges,' said Justice Noorin, who read out the unanimous decision.
Syed Saddiq, 32, had been accused of abetting Armada's former assistant treasurer, Rafiq Hakim Razali, in committing criminal breach of trust involving RM1 mil.
The alleged offence was said to have occurred at CIMB Bank Berhad, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, on March 6, 2020, under Section 406 of the Penal Code.
For the second charge, he was accused of misappropriating RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Berhad account of Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by instructing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the funds.
The act was alleged to have taken place at Malayan Banking Berhad, Taman Pandan Jaya, between April 8 and 21, 2018, under Section 403 of the Penal Code.
Additionally, Syed Saddiq faced two charges of money laundering involving the transfer of RM50,000 each from his Maybank Islamic account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.
These transactions, allegedly proceeds of unlawful activities, were said to have occurred at a bank in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.
The money laundering charges were brought under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which provides for a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to five times the amount involved, upon conviction. ‒ June 25, 2025
Main image: Bernama
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