KUALA LUMPUR – A dejected-looking Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has accepted the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which found him guilty of all four counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and misappropriating RM1.12 million.
He told a press conference outside the courtroom here that a good leader must be “whiter than white”.
“I believe that to make Malaysia a great country, it is about building strong institutions which outlast personalities and partisanship.
“But, to be that group of leaders, you have to be whiter than white. I know the position which I am in today, which is why I have personally made up my mind on what I intend to do about my position as the president of Muda.
“If I don’t stand by my principles, then I have abandoned the very reason why I joined politics.”
His fate as party president will be known later today as Muda will meet this afternoon.
However, his defence counsel and Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo told Scoop that Syed Saddiq’s position as Muar MP would be retained as he was granted a stay of sentence execution today, and the guilty verdict would only affect his position as Muda president.
Gobind also confirmed that the defence team will file an appeal by today and hopes for a hearing date to be fixed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said he respected the decision by the high court and judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid, as it also comes with “a sense of consistency in defending the institution of justice”.
“I am not here to lambast, condemn or disrepute the institution. In the end, I am like any other Malaysian and should be judged (as such),” he said, adding that he would accept any criticism with an open heart.
Nonetheless, he felt there was a strong case to be filed in the Court of Appeal to clear his name, following discussions with his team and lawyers.
Despite the highs and lows of politics, Syed Saddiq also said he would continue to fight to uphold the truth and help make Malaysia a developed country.
Earlier today, Syed Saddiq was found guilty of all four of his criminal charges – including money laundering, fund misappropriation and CBT – after judge Azhar found no merit in his defence.
His guilty verdict of CBT involved abetting former Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali – who was entrusted with RM1 million of the youth wing’s funds – to commit the offence by misappropriating the funds.
Under Section 406 of the Penal Code, this crime carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, possible caning, and a fine.
Syed Saddiq was also found guilty of one count of misappropriating Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise funds amounting to RM120,000 by causing Rafiq to dispose of the funds under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum of five years’ imprisonment with strokes of the rotan and a fine upon conviction.
The high court also found him guilty of two charges of allegedly being engaged in money laundering involving two transactions of RM50,000, each believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities.
The crime carries a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment with a fine at least five times the sum obtained from money laundering, or RM5 million, whichever is higher upon conviction, under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Syed Saddiq was brought to court in 2021 to face the four charges. The trial at the prosecution stage began in June last year, while the judge ordered Syed Saddiq to enter his defence in October of the same year. – November 9, 2023