Syed Saddiq's criminal trial to begin tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR: The trial of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who faces four charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering of RM1 million belonging to Bersatu Youth wing (Armada), will begin at the High Court here tomorrow.

The trial will be heard before Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid at 9 am.

"Six prosecution witnesses are expected to testify tomorrow," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who will lead the prosecution team when contacted by Bernama today.

Wan Shaharuddin said the prosecution would call 40 witnesses at the trial of the case. The court had previously set June 21 and 22; July 4-8; and July 18-22 to hear the case.

Syed Saddiq, 29, was initially charged in the Sessions Court.

However, he applied for the case to be transferred to the High Court and on Nov 25 last year, his application was allowed.

On July 22, 2021, the former youth and sports minister was charged in court here on one count of criminal breach of trust and one count of misappropriating funds and on Aug 5 the same year, he was arraigned in a Johor Bahru court on two counts of money laundering.

The prosecution then applied to transfer the case in Johor Bahru to the Kuala Lumpur court to be heard together.

On the first charge, Syed Saddiq is charged as the then Armada chief - who was entrusted with control of Armada funds - of abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, Armada's assistant treasurer at the time, with CBT of RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing.

He was alleged to have committed the offence at CIMB Bank Berhad, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, here on March 6, 2020, under Section 406 of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to 10 years with whipping, and is liable to a fine, if found guilty.

Syed Saddiq is also charged with misusing RM120,000 in contributions raised through a Maybank Islamic Berhad account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise at Maybank Islamic Berhad, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya between April 8 and 21, 2018.

He could be jailed for up to five years with whipping and is liable to a fine if found guilty of the offence framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code.

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

The charges were framed under Section 4 (1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 which is punishable under Section 4 (1) of the same act, providing maximum imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or the proceeds of illegal activities.

-- BERNAMA