KUALA LUMPUR - After calling four witnesses, the defence team in Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's trial in the High Court here has closed its case on Tuesday.
Lawyer Gobind Sing Deo who represented the former Bersatu Vice President, informed Judge Azhar Abdul Hamid of this after the court finished hearing evidence given by defence witness Siti Nurul Hidayah, the former private secretary for the Syed Saddiq.
Azhar then ordered both parties to file a written submissions before April 3rd while the hearing proceedings for oral submissions at the end of the defence case will be held on April 10 and 11.
Syed Saddiq, 30, is charged as the then Bersatu Youth wing or Armada chief, with abetting Rafiq Hakim who was entrusted with RM1mil in funds belonging to the wing, to commit a criminal breach of trust by misappropriating the funds at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB KL Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 2 here on March 6, 2020.
The Johor Baru native is also charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to ABBE by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya here between April 8 and 21, 2018.
He also faced two charges of money laundering by transferring RM50,000 to his Maybank Islamic Berhad account and his Bumiputera Trust Fund from the activities.
Syed Saddiq was accused of performing the act at 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 and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA) and could be charged under Section 4(1) of the same act.
Other than Siti Nurul Hidayah other witnesses include, Syed Saddiq's former special officer Mohamed Amshar Aziz and former Armada information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin.
In the proceedings the prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutors Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Mohd 'Afif Ali while lawyers Gobind and Hajian Omar represented Syed Saddiq.
On Sept 27, 2022, the prosecution closed the case after 30 witnesses gave their statements in the trial starting on June 21, 2022.
On Oct 28, 2022, Syed Saddiq, 31, was ordered to defend himself on the four charges after the prosecution party successfully proved a prima facie case towards the accused at the end of the case.
The former sports and youth minister gave his statement to defend himself for two days starting on Feb 22.
If found guilty he will face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of five times the total or revenue from the illegal activity.
Meanwhile in her testimony Siti Nurul Hidayah said the police report made regarding the allegations of abuse and threats by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officials when called to testify against Syed Saddiq were true.
"The MACC senior officer known as Ihsan when he introduced himself to me was an investigative officer in the case," she said.
Syed Saddiq was called to give his statement and to identify Ihsan or his real name Mohd Ihsan Sapuan.
In the previous proceedings Syed Saddiq was referred with an audio recording transcript claiming to be the contents of a conversation between him and Ihsan.
The transcript had Syed Saddiq claiming Ihsan attempted to convince him to support Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the former prime ministerand the one who brought him to Bersatu.
Syed Saddiq said Ihsan told him the MACC is used as a 'tool' when the government changes.