11 hours ago
‘Always sincere': Bella Astillah says glad Syed Saddiq's integrity paid off with acquittal, shuts down engagement talk
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Singer and actress Bella Astillah said she was relieved that the ordeal surrounding Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's court case was finally over.
Speaking to reporters today at the Court of Appeal (CoA), where the Muar MP was acquitted of all four charges of corruption and money laundering against him, 31-year-old Bella said there are no talks of an engagement between the two for now.
'I think since we just heard the decision and we're here for that we will focus on this for now,' she said.
'Any plans for the future and such, as I've said before, I will inform and share my plans then,' she added.
Bella said that it had been a very difficult time for Syed Saddiq and his family, and that they were all grateful for the outcome.
'He is very sincere in everything he does, he does it properly and with integrity. I feel that's the reason he got a favourable decision today,' she added.
Actress and singer Bella Astillah speaks to the press following Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's acquittal of four corruption and money laundering charges at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya today. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Syed Saddiq, 32, was acquitted today by a unanimous three-member Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, with Justices Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin concurring.
He had been convicted in November 2023 on four charges — abetting criminal breach of trust involving RM1 million, misappropriating RM120,000 in party funds, and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each allegedly transferred from his personal account.
The offences were said to have occurred between 2018 and 2020.
The High Court had sentenced him to seven years in jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
However, the Court of Appeal today ruled that the trial judge had seriously erred by failing to properly evaluate the defence's evidence and by not establishing whether the withdrawals were carried out dishonestly or linked to unlawful activities.
As a result, the panel set aside both the conviction and sentence, clearing Syed Saddiq of all charges.
