Nabil Luqman

0f9d2dd4f71434084e2b6094de1865e23abb37bb9f28ca51feeabee679ec9be2

Social

politics

Syed Saddiq

corruption

MACC

cash

court of appeal

bersatu

GE14

The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya has heard comprehensive arguments in the high-profile appeal case of Muar Member of Parliament, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is challenging his conviction and sentencing on four charges&mdash;criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds, and money laundering. The case centres on events from his tenure as the Youth Chief of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), during which he was actively involved in fundraising for the 14th General Election (GE14).
Fundraising for GE14: &ldquo;The Mother of All Elections&rdquo;
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/47c0e999735698369b277abad803ccb8eb22f256864181dad77bacae046d5c78" />
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan told the three-member appellate bench that Syed Saddiq had organised and participated in two major fundraising dinners in April 2018, one in Muar and the other in Ampang. During both events, he had passionately appealed to attendees to contribute towards his election campaign, describing GE14 as &ldquo;the mother of all elections&rdquo; and claiming that the opposition was fighting against an overwhelmingly powerful ruling party.
The events were reportedly successful in garnering public support, and a total of RM120,000 was collected in donations. These funds were initially deposited into the Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise account, a bank account associated with Bersatu&rsquo;s youth wing, known as Armada.
However, just days later, Syed Saddiq authorised four transfers from the Armada account&mdash;on 8, 11, 12, and 21 April 2018&mdash;amounting to RM120,000 into his personal bank account. This was prior to the official launch of the 11-day GE14 campaign period, which began on 28 April 2018.
Prosecutors Challenge &ldquo;Afterthought&rdquo; Defence
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/3e4eead4eba98712bef6bc3cd4523ac05b0413821e1e3cbff700f3ccfcad79c4" />
The prosecution argued that if the funds were indeed meant for campaigning, as claimed by the defence, they would have been used during the campaign period. Instead, no withdrawals were made during the election period, and it was only in June 2018, after the Pakatan Harapan coalition had won power and Syed Saddiq had been appointed Youth and Sports Minister, that the money was moved again&mdash;this time into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) investment account in two transactions of RM50,000 each.
Farah Ezlin submitted that this sequence of events contradicted Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s claim that the money was meant for election-related expenses. &ldquo;The money remained untouched for over two months and was subsequently invested in ASB. This contradicts the narrative that the funds were raised solely for political campaigning,&rdquo; she said, adding that the explanation appeared to be &ldquo;a mere afterthought&rdquo; presented only during trial.
&ldquo;Clear the Money&rdquo;: MACC&rsquo;s Investigation and Alleged Attempted Concealment
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/c7ed933a51fd1483ea409438105d656f7da82fbfeb5b770d0b961d2d1e04f0f8" />
DPP Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin presented evidence related to a separate but connected incident involving RM1 million in cash. In March 2020, after the MACC launched an investigation into Bersatu's youth finances, Syed Saddiq allegedly made a late-night call to Rafiq Hakim Razali, then Armada's assistant treasurer, instructing him to &ldquo;clear&rdquo; the money from his safe.
The money, kept at Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s parents&rsquo; residence, was withdrawn and removed following the instruction. Rafiq, testifying in court, clarified that by &ldquo;clear,&rdquo; he understood it to mean &ldquo;do not keep the money in my house.&rdquo; Wan Shaharuddin argued that Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s actions indicated an intention to hide the funds from investigators, adding, &ldquo;If the money was clean, why the need to hide it?&rdquo;
The RM1 million had reportedly come from Bersatu Youth&rsquo;s accounts and was linked to party operations. The prosecution contended that Syed Saddiq was complicit in orchestrating its removal in anticipation of MACC scrutiny.
Convictions and Sentence: Harsh but Symbolic
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/df5a59d81903c9e6de39473a314c11dc8463c7b6d3a0c3c5c7b291f660671252" />
In November 2023, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found Syed Saddiq guilty of all four charges. He was convicted of abetting CBT involving RM1 million, misappropriation of RM120,000 in political donations, and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each.
High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid handed down a sentence totalling seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and a fine of RM10 million. The CBT and misappropriation sentences were ordered to run consecutively, while the sentences for the money laundering charges were to run concurrently. The total custodial sentence would thus amount to seven years, pending the outcome of this appeal.
In his written judgment, Justice Azhar emphasised Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s position as a youth leader and federal minister, stating that a firm sentence was necessary to deter future misconduct by political leaders. He characterised Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s behaviour as &ldquo;misleading&rdquo; and &ldquo;deceptive,&rdquo; particularly given his public image as a reformist and youth icon.
However, the High Court granted a stay of execution pending appeal, allowing Syed Saddiq to remain free while challenging the conviction.
Defence Cries Miscarriage of Justice
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/77c57578b73d6fa237a6f6b2fce51010c220abb3da1ab1583096ad7704e7531a" />
Lead defence counsel, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, argued that the trial judge had erred both in law and in the assessment of the facts. He claimed that the verdict failed to account for the defence's evidence and amounted to a miscarriage of justice under Section 182A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Hisyam criticised the judgment as &ldquo;non-speaking,&rdquo; alleging that it lacked clarity, especially in relation to the money laundering charges. He maintained that the trial judge had not adequately explained why the transfers into Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s ASB account constituted laundering under Malaysian law.
&ldquo;The judgment was one-sided and did not fairly address the evidence presented by the defence,&rdquo; Hisyam said. He added that the defence had consistently maintained that the money was raised legitimately and that no personal benefit was gained.
He further argued that the sentence was &ldquo;manifestly excessive,&rdquo; urging the appellate court to significantly reduce it if the conviction were upheld. &ldquo;We respectfully submit that a custodial sentence of one day would be sufficient, considering the circumstances and the accused&rsquo;s background,&rdquo; he told the bench.
Syed Saddiq was also represented by a team of seasoned legal professionals, including former Solicitor-General Datuk Yusof Zainal Abiden.
Awaiting Verdict: Case Management Set for 24 April
After hearing submissions from both the prosecution and defence, the three-member Court of Appeal bench&mdash;comprising Justices Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Datuk Azman Abdullah, and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin&mdash;reserved judgment. The court scheduled 24 April 2025 for case management to fix a date for delivering its final ruling.
The case remains a politically charged one, with significant implications not just for Syed Saddiq&rsquo;s political future, but also for the public&rsquo;s trust in young leaders who rose to prominence on promises of transparency and reform.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media &amp; various cross-references for context.
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It was alleged that RM120K in public donations was channelled into Syed Saddiq’s personal account.

12f8801f547a8d1d53836d64de15ec54e7a5e7dac8226df5d03bb4beb7c6d4f8

Syed Saddiq’s Appeal: Court Hears Allegations Of Misappropriated Campaign Funds & Attempted Cover-Up

Syed Saddiq’s Appeal: Court Hears Allegations Of Misappropriated Campaign Funds & Attempted Cover-Up

It was alleged that RM120K in public donations was channelled into Syed Saddiq’s personal account.

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