Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s RM1.12 million criminal breach of trust (CBT) and RM100,000 money laundering abetment trial will now be heard before the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan this morning allowed the application by the former youth and sports minister to transfer the case from the Sessions Court.
In effect, this means that the ongoing trial before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court scheduled for next week would need to be vacated.
“I am convinced there are likely to be unusual questions of law that will arise and that it will be expedient for justice for the case of the applicant to be tried before the High Court.
“The application is therefore allowed,” Zaini ruled during open-court proceedings.
Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo acted for Syed Saddiq (above) while deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin represented the prosecution.
During today's proceedings, Gobind submitted that the case ought to be heard by the High Court as it is most equipped to decide on any possible constitutional issue of certain laws that may arise in the course of trial.
The defence counsel said that among these laws that may be challenged is Section 62 of the MACC Act, which require the defence to serve the accused’s defence statement to the prosecution before trial.
Gobind claimed that the section could possibly be challenged in the course of trial as it allegedly impedes the Muar MP's right to a fair trial.
However, Wan Shaharuddin countered that the lower court judges are still capable of deciding any issue of validity of law that may arise in the trial.
Previously at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, Syed Saddiq claimed trial to two charges of misappropriation involving RM1.12 million of funds from the political party.
The former Bersatu Youth chief also pleaded not guilty to two counts of abetting money laundering of RM100,000.
According to the two abetment charges framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, he was accused of being involved in the transfer of the funds on two occasions on June 16 and 19, 2018.
On each occasion at Maybank Islamic Berhad, Taman Perling in Johor Bahru, he was alleged to have transferred RM50,000 from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.
Expelled from Bersatu
On July 17 last year, the MACC grilled Syed Saddiq for 11 hours over a report he made a few months earlier in March over the sum of around RM250,000 that he claimed was stolen from his home.
The Muda founder claimed that most of the missing money was to fund renovations for his house in Petaling Jaya. Of the missing sum, RM90,000 belonged to him, whereas RM50,000 belonged to his mother and RM70,000 to his father.
The incident occurred amid turbulence within Bersatu, where the former youth chief sided with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who led a breakaway faction from the party.
Both were later expelled from Bersatu, a party headed by its president Muhyiddin Yassin, who was also the then prime minister.
After being charged at the Johor Bahru Sessions Court on Aug 5 (in relation to the two abetment charges), Syed Saddiq raised the allegation that then deputy youth and sports minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal tried to persuade him to support Muhyiddin and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
While admitting to having met Syed Saddiq, Wan Fayhsal, who is Bersatu youth chief, denied the meeting had anything to do with the former’s court case.
Wan Fayhsal is now a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (National Unity).
Helming the Bersatu presidency, Muhyiddin stepped down as premier in August. Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob has since assumed the post of prime minister. - Mkini
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