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THE Court of Appeal has extended the appeal hearing for Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, with the prosecution set to continue presenting its arguments on April 17.
This follows the second day of a scheduled two-day hearing for Syed Saddiq’s appeal against his conviction and sentence on charges of criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Seri Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin firmly rejected the defence's claim of witness intimidation, highlighting that Syed Saddiq, as a trustee of the Bersatu Armada account, should have known that using the funds for personal or political purposes was a breach of his fiduciary duty.
"As a trustee of the account, he should have known that using the funds for personal or political gain was a violation of his fiduciary duty," Wan Shaharuddin stated.
The DPP further argued that Syed Saddiq had failed to provide any credible justification for his actions or why he believed he was entitled to use the Armada funds for his own purposes.
Wan Shaharuddin also pointed out that Syed Saddiq did not challenge key evidence presented by the prosecution, particularly the testimony of Rafiq Hakim Razali, the former assistant treasurer of Armada, who turned key witness for the prosecution.
Rafiq had previously testified that Syed Saddiq had instructed the withdrawal of RM1 million from the Armada account. "The failure of the appellant to challenge this evidence undermines his defence," said the DPP.
As proceedings ran over time, the court adjourned until April 17 for the continuation of the DPP’s submissions, as only the first charge was addressed during today’s hearing.
Syed Saddiq, represented by Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abidin and Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, was sentenced on November 9, 2023, to seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and a RM5 million fine for charges related to criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds, and money laundering. These charges stemmed from his role in misusing RM1 million from the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s youth wing, Armada.
Today’s appeal was heard before a three-judge panel, consisting of Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Datuk Haji Azman Abdullah, and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin.
Syed Saddiq, aged 33, was represented by senior lawyer Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden during the session. The Court of Appeal had previously scheduled a two-day hearing for the appeal on 19 and 20 March 2025.
In November 2023, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid convicted the former Youth and Sports Minister, finding him guilty on four charges relating to the misappropriation of Armada funds.
The charges included criminal breach of trust, abuse of property, and money laundering, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
The High Court ruling, which covered a 22-page judgment, dismissed Syed Saddiq's defence and labelled his explanations as “illogical”.
However, the court allowed his request for a stay of execution of the sentence while the appeal was pending in the Court of Appeal. – March 20, 2025