Syed Saddiq’s criminal trial to begin tomorrow

The trial of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who faces four charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering of RM1 million belonging to the Bersatu Youth wing, will begin at the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow.

The trial will be heard before judge Azhar Abdul Hamid at 9am.

“Six prosecution witnesses are expected to testify tomorrow,” said deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin when contacted by Bernama today.

Wan Shaharuddin said the prosecution would call 40 witnesses at the trial. The court had previously set June 21 and 22, July 4 to 8, and July 18 to 22 to hear the case.

Syed Saddiq, 29, was initially charged in the Sessions Court.

However, he applied for the case to be transferred to the High Court. His application was allowed on Nov 25 last year.

On July 22, 2021, the former youth and sports minister was charged in court with one count of criminal breach of trust and one count of misappropriating funds. On Aug 5 the same year, he was arraigned in a Johor Bahru court on two counts of money laundering.

The prosecution then applied to transfer the case in Johor Bahru to the Kuala Lumpur court to be heard together.

On the first charge, Syed Saddiq is charged as then Youth chief, entrusted with control of the wing’s funds, with abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, the Youth wing’s assistant treasurer at the time, with CBT of RM1 million.

He was charged with committing the offence at CIMB Bank, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, on March 6, 2020, under Section 406 of the Penal Code which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years with whipping, liable to a fine, upon conviction.

He was also charged with misusing RM120,000 in contributions raised through a Maybank Islamic account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise at Maybank Islamic, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya between April 8 and 21, 2018.

He could be jailed for up to five years and whipped, and is also liable be fined if found guilty of the offence, framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code.

Syed Saddiq also faces two counts of engaging in money laundering activities in two transactions of RM50,000, believed to be the proceeds of unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru on June 16 and June 19, 2018.

The charges were framed under Section 4 (1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, punishable under Section 4 (1) of the same act, which provides for a maximum imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or the proceeds of illegal activities.