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THE Court of Appeal has fixed April 24 for case management in the appeal of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence on four charges related to the misappropriation of funds from the youth wing of his former party, Bersatu.
The date was set by a three-member panel chaired by Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, who said the bench required additional time to scrutinise the arguments presented by both sides before delivering a decision.
“We need time to study the submissions and will reconvene on 24 April for case management and to fix a date for the decision,” said Ahmad Zaidi.
Earlier, the court heard submissions from Deputy Public Prosecutors Datuk Wan Shaharudin Wan Ladin and Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan, followed by defence counsel Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden and Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.
Syed Saddiq, the former leader of the Bersatu youth wing, Armada, was convicted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 9 November 2023 and sentenced to seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane and a RM10 million fine. High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid found him guilty on four charges, including criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property, and money laundering.
The first charge involved criminal breach of trust for allegedly conspiring with former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali to misappropriate RM1 million belonging to the wing, under Section 406 of the Penal Code.
The second charge accused him of misusing RM120,000 from a Maybank Islamic Berhad account held by Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise (ABBE) for his own benefit, under Section 403 of the Penal Code.
Syed Saddiq also faces two charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 for allegedly transferring RM50,000 twice from his Maybank account into his personal Amanah Saham Bumiputera investment account.
If upheld, the charges carry significant custodial sentences and financial penalties. The upcoming case management date will determine the timeline for the Court of Appeal’s decision on Syed Saddiq’s fate. – April 17, 2025