HEARING FOR SYED SADDIQ'S APPEAL AGAINST CONVICTION SET FOR MARCH 19, 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- The Court of Appeal today scheduled March 19 and 20, to hear Muar member of parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's appeal against his conviction and sentence for four offences related to the Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada) funds.

Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin confirmed the setting of the dates when contacted following the online case management held before the deputy registrar of the Court of Appeal, Mohd Khairi Haron.

"The court has also set Jan 15 for case management to determine the complete status of the appeal record. The parties are required to file written submissions on or before March 4," he said.

The hearing dates for the appeal were also confirmed by Syed Saddiq's lawyer, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik. 

Syed Saddiq, 32, filed the appeal against the Nov 9, 2023, decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which sentenced him to seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and an RM10 million fine after finding him guilty of four charges involving conspiracy to commit criminal breach of trust (CBT), misuse of property, and money laundering related to Armada funds.

However, the High Court granted Syed Saddiq's application to stay the execution of his sentence pending the outcome of his appeal. 

For the first charge, Syed Saddiq is accused of conspiring with the then assistant treasurer of Armada, Rafiq Hakim Razali, who was entrusted with RM1 million of Armada's funds, to commit CBT by misusing the funds at CIMB Bank Berhad, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Sentral 2, on March 6, 2020.

He was charged under Section 406 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, corporal punishment, and a fine.

For the second charge, he is accused of misusing RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Berhad account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise, by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Berhad, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya, between April 8 and 21, 2018.

This charge was brought under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which is punishable by an imprisonment of between six months and five years, corporal punishment, and a fine.

Syed Saddiq is also facing two charges of money laundering for transferring RM50,000 in illegal proceeds on each occasion, from his Maybank Islamic Berhad account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.

The former MUDA president is accused of committing these offences at a bank on Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, on June 16 and 19, 2018, and charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

The offence is punishable by a maximum of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to five times the amount or value of the illegal proceeds. 

-- BERNAMA