Investigating officer ‘suspected Syed Saddiq conspired with 2 others’ over missing RM250,000

An assistant police superintendent told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today he suspected that Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and two others were involved in the case regarding RM250,000 in cash that had gone missing from a safe in the politician’s house two years ago.

ASP Ahmad Marzuqi Ibrahim, 39, the investigating officer in the case, said he suspected this because only Syed Saddiq and two other individuals – Siti Nurul Hidayah and Lim Hooi Sean – knew the combination code for the safe.

“Only Syed Saddiq’s fingerprints were found on the cupboard and the safe. I suspected that all three of them were involved or had abetted in the case of the missing money.

“I sent a letter to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to obtain information to facilitate the investigation, but I have yet to receive any feedback from BNM,” he said during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohd ‘Afif Ali on the second day of Syed Saddiq’s trial for four charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering.

Marzuqi, the fifth prosecution witness, also confirmed that there was no trace of the safe being forced open and that only Syed Saddiq’s fingerprints had been found on it.

“I did not do any verification or investigation on how Syed Saddiq obtained the money because my investigation at that time was according to Section 380 of the Penal Code, which is theft in dwellings.

“I also confirm Syed Saddiq never told me that the missing money was political money. He only said that it was his savings and also his parents’,” he said.

Earlier, Marzuqi said he had arrested Syed Saddiq’s maid, an Indonesian named Novi Dwi Anggraeni, following the police report the politician had made on March 29, 2020 regarding the theft of the money.

“However, Novi was released because there was no evidence linking her to the case. I also confirm that Syed Saddiq’s room did not show any signs of force entry,” he said.

Meanwhile, the seventh prosecution witness, Corporal Helmi Abdul Rahman, who received a MERS 999 call from Syed Saddiq regarding the theft, said he did not suspect that the report of the loss of money was false.

“I also did not ask Syed Saddiq when he realised that the money had been stolen or missing,” he said.

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

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

For the second charge, Syed Saddiq was accused of misusing property for himself, namely RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq to dispose of the money.

He was accused of committing the offence at Malayan Banking, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya between April 8 and 21, 2018, and charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between six months and five years, with whipping and a fine upon conviction.

He 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.

Syed Saddiq was accused of committing the offence at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, on June 16 and 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 law, 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, upon conviction.

The trial before judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid continues on July 4.