KUALA LUMPUR – Muda has unanimously agreed to reoffer the party presidency to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman following his acquittal by the Court of Appeal on all four criminal charges linked to the misappropriation of party funds.
The decision was made during Muda’s Central Executive Committee (JKEP) meeting, held in light of the court’s ruling on Wednesday that cleared the Muar MP of charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds, and money laundering dating back to 2018.
“This offer is made based on two principles: Syed Saddiq has cleared his name and integrity through a transparent and fair judicial process. Secondly, he has consistently upheld the dignity and good name of Muda while serving as a Member of Parliament,” the party said in a statement today.
Muda’s acting president, Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, described his decision to vacate the presidency in November last year as a bold and unprecedented move for a politician facing trial, underscoring MUDA’s commitment to integrity in leadership.
While expressing confidence that Syed Saddiq’s return would strengthen the party’s direction ahead of the next general election, Amira acknowledged that he would need time to consider the offer.
“Syed Saddiq remains active as the Muar MP and has never faltered in his service-oriented politics,” she added, urging the public to continue supporting MUDA’s mission of nation-building.
On Wednesday, a three-member Court of Appeal panel comprising Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Datuk Azman Abdullah, and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin allowed Syed Saddiq’s appeal, setting aside the convictions and sentence handed down by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on November 9, 2023.
Justice Noorin, in delivering the judgment, said the prosecution failed to prove dishonest intent in the CBT charge involving RM1 million.
“The prosecution failed to establish any dishonest intention on the part of Syed Saddiq when he directed the withdrawal of the RM1 million from Armada’s funds,” she said, adding that instructing a withdrawal does not equate to disposal of property.
She further ruled that the act of instructing or ordering a transaction did not satisfy the requirement of actus reus — the physical element of a crime — and highlighted that the High Court had erred in evaluating both evidence and legal elements of the charges.
As a result, Syed Saddiq was acquitted and discharged of all four charges: one count of abetting a criminal breach of trust, one count of misappropriation of RM120,000, and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each.
The charges stemmed from alleged offences between 2018 and 2020. The CBT charge involved Syed Saddiq allegedly abetting then-Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali in misusing RM1 million in party funds at CIMB Bank KL Sentral on March 6, 2020, under Section 406 of the Penal Code.
He was also accused of misappropriating RM120,000 from Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise’s Maybank Islamic account between April 8 and 21, 2018, in Taman Pandan Jaya, under Section 403 of the Penal Code.
The money laundering charges were brought under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act for two transactions of RM50,000 each from his Maybank Islamic account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account on June 16 and 19, 2018, in Johor Bahru.
The acquittal followed Syed Saddiq’s appeal filed on December 12 last year, supported by an 18-ground petition to overturn both convictions and sentence, which included seven years’ imprisonment, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
Despite the acquittal, the legal battle may not be over as the prosecution seeks a final review from the country’s highest court.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed it will be filing an appeal to the Federal Court to challenge the Court of Appeal's decision.
“I have been informed by the Deputy Public Prosecutor about today’s outcome, and an appeal to the Federal Court will be filed soon,” said MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki at a press conference.
When asked whether he was disappointed with the outcome, Azam replied, “I have nothing personal against anyone — there is no sense of disappointment or satisfaction in our investigations.” - June 26, 2025
The post Syed Saddiq offered Muda presidency return following court acquittal appeared first on Scoop.
