PUTRAJAYA, July 13 — Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been fully acquitted of corruption and money laundering charges after the Federal Court dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against an earlier Court of Appeal decision.
In a 2-1 majority ruling, Federal Court judges Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah held that the Court of Appeal had not erred in allowing Syed Saddiq’s appeal in June last year. They found no legal or procedural errors that warranted the prosecution’s challenge.
The panel chairman, Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Jais, delivered a dissenting judgment.
The Federal Court’s decision effectively affirms the Court of Appeal’s ruling, setting aside Syed Saddiq’s previous conviction and sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, two strokes of the cane and a RM10 million fine imposed by the High Court.
The case involved two charges of abetting criminal breach of trust, one charge of misappropriation of property and two charges of money laundering involving funds belonging to Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (ARMADA).
With the apex court dismissing the prosecution’s final appeal, Syed Saddiq is now fully acquitted of all charges, bringing the long-running legal proceedings against the former Youth and Sports Minister to a close.
–Bernama
