Prosecution appeals against Malaysia’s former minister Syed Saddiq’s acquittal in graft case
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Malaysia’s prosecution challenged the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in the RM1.2 million graft case.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s prosecution has filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in the RM1.2 million (S$366,000) graft case involving Armada funds.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin confirmed to the press that the appeal was filed on Sept 22.
In the petition of appeal, the prosecution cited 28 grounds of appeal which included that the appellate court judges had erred in law and facts when it allowed Mr Syed Saddiq’s appeal.
“The judges of the Court of Appeal had erred when the panel made wild accusations that the prosecution and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) purportedly pressured the 13th prosecution witness to give a testimony that was ‘tailored’ and made to ‘appease’ the MACC and the prosecution when where there was no testimonies that support the accusations,” it said in the court documents.
The prosecution also contended that the judges had erred by failing to consider that Mr Syed Saddiq’s defence was an afterthought and a bare denial.
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 that warranted appellate intervention.
Other judges on the panel were Justices Azman Abdullah and Noorin Badaruddin.
On Nov 9, 2023, High Court judge Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid had found Mr Syed Saddiq guilty of four charges, including abetting in criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds, and money laundering involving RM1.2 million.
He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, a RM10 milion fine, and two strokes of the cane for all charges.
Mr Syed Saddiq was charged with abetting former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali, who was entrusted with RM1 million of Armada’s funds, to commit criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the funds.
On the second charge, the former youth and sports minister was charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise’s Maybank Islamic Bhd account by making Rafiq dispose of the money.
He was also charged with two counts of money laundering via transactions of RM50,000 each, believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
