Syed Saddiq gets temporary release of passport to fly to Indonesia

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today allowed an application by Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman for a temporary release of his passport to enable him to attend a youth leadership conference in Indonesia tomorrow.

Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid allowed the application after hearing the submissions by lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, representing Syed Saddiq, 30, and deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.

In allowing the application, Judge Azhar ordered Syed Saddiq to return the passport to the court on Sept 11.

Earlier, Wan Shaharuddin had objected to Syed Saddiq's application on the grounds that there was a pending criminal case, however, Lim, countered that the court had similarly released Syed Saddiq's passport in April, in order for him to attend conferences in Switzerland and South Korea.

He pointed out that Syed Saddiq is not a flight risk, as he is a serving MP and has been cooperative since the start of his criminal trial.

In his application filed on Sept 1, Syed Saddiq applied for the temporary return of his passport from Sept 4 to Sept 11, so he could attend an international conference in Indonesia.

The forum, is titled "Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Matters Forum: Leading With Impact", and is organised by the American Embassy in Jakarta and US Mission to ASEAN, where Syed Saddiq is slated to be one of the speakers.

On Oct 28 last year, Syed Saddiq was ordered to enter his defence on four charges of abetting in criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of property and money laundering after the prosecution was able to prove a prima facie case against him at the end of the prosecution case.

The former youth and sports minister testified in his own defence for two days from Feb 22 this year and five other individuals also gave evidence as defence witnesses. Judge Azhar will deliver his judgment on a date yet to be fixed.

Syed Saddiq was charged as the then Armada chief with abetting Rafiq Hakim, who was entrusted with RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing, to commit criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the funds at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2 here on March 6, 2020.

Syed Saddiq was also charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya here between April 8 and 21, 2018.

He also faces two counts of engaging in money-laundering activities, namely two transactions of RM50,000 each believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account at a bank in Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.

-- BERNAMA