KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said on Friday that he will immediately file an appeal against the conviction and sentence handed down to him by the High Court in his criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money-laundering case, after finally receiving the full written judgement.
Stressing that he does not wish to waste the court's time, the 31-year-old politician wants the appeal to be expedited.
“Today, after anxiously waiting for more than 386 days, I have finally received the written judgement from the High Court judge, which will allow me to commence my appeal in court,” he said in a statement.
"I have instructed my lawyers, Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden and Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, to immediately prepare for my appeal and fight vigorously for the truth in the court of law.
“I pledge not to waste the court's precious time, and want my appeal to be heard as soon as possible," said the former youth and sports minister.
He added: "I look forward to clearing my name in the Court of Appeal. I have always insisted on clearing my name in court."
The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) co-founder said he had "chosen not to pursue dropping his case", although he had many opportunities to do so.
"I chose not to pursue them because I strongly believe that no one, not even the powerful, should be above the law. In the eyes of the law, we are all equal.
"Only through this uncompromising belief can Malaysia succeed in becoming a developed country that serves the interests of all Malaysians," he said.
The full grounds of judgement were made available on the judiciary's website on Friday, more than a year after Syed Saddiq was convicted on Nov 9, 2023. He was found guilty of all four charges involving misappropriation of more than RM1 million belonging to Armada, the youth wing of his former party Bersatu.
The full grounds are needed for him to file his appeal to the Court of Appeal.
High Court judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid, in his judgement, said Syed Saddiq's role as a public figure, a lawmaker, and an idol for youngsters was taken into account when handing out the sentence.
"As a Member of Parliament and an idol for young people, it is appropriate that the accused is held to a higher standard and set a good example," Azhar said.
He added that it was unreasonable for the politician not to know that RM1 million was withdrawn from Armada.
Syed Saddiq, in his statement, said that if he is found guilty after all his appeals are exhausted, he will respect the judiciary’s decision.
“If I am fated by Allah SWT and through the wisdom of the judges to still be found guilty after my appeals, I pledge to respect the judiciary as an institution, no matter how painful or unjust I may perceive the verdict to be,” he said.
The Muar MP faced four charges in total — one charge of abetting Rafiq Hakim Razali, a former assistant treasurer of Armada, in committing CBT, one charge of misappropriation of party funds, and two money-laundering charges.
For the first charge, he was accused of abetting Rafiq to commit CBT of RM1 million in funds belonging to the youth wing of Bersatu in March 2020.
On the second charge, Syed Saddiq was accused of misusing RM120,000 of party contributions belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise (ABBE), a company set up to generate income for the youth wing of Bersatu through merchandise sales, in April 2018.
The two money-laundering charges originated from the second charge. The charges involved two transactions of RM50,000 each in June 2018.
Syed Saddiq has maintained that the funds transferred to his account were reimbursement for monies he had already spent on his campaign.
A stay of execution of the High Court's decision was granted, pending the disposal of Syed Saddiq's appeal. He also remains the Muar MP until the appeal process is exhausted.
Azhar had found Syed Saddiq guilty of all four charges, sentencing the young politician to a total of seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and a fine of RM10 million.
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