A SUM of RM1 mil belonging to the Bersatu Youth wing was used on charitable purposes and not for the personal benefit of the party’s then-youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
According to lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, the sum was withdrawn from Armada’s account on March 6, 2020 to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden lockdown imposed by the government as a measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The lawyer was speaking during oral submissions at the end of the defence in the RM1.12 mil misappropriation case against the Muar MP.
“The RM1 mil was not under the direct control of the accused (Syed Saddiq) and he did not receive a single sen from the amount,” he revealed at the close of Syed Saddiq’s defence case.
The MUDA president is standing trial on four counts of CBT and money laundering.
He is alleged to have misappropriated a total of RM1.12 million belonging to Bersatu.
Gobind further noted that the prosecution witness and former Bersatu Youth treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali had conceded during cross-examination that the RM120,000 was for Syed Saddiq’s own use and did not belong to the party.
From that amount, RM120,000 was said to be party funds for the 2018 general election, while the remaining RM1 mil was allegedly withdrawn by him without the top leadership’s consent.
He also pleaded not guilty to two charges of money laundering involving a total of RM100,000.
Gobind told the court that Syed Saddiq and Rafiq had acted in the best interest of the party to assist the people who needed financial assistance during the pandemic.
“The prosecution cannot say that he (Syed Saddiq) abetted Rafiq in misappropriating the RM1 mil. Their version was that he instructed Rafiq to withdraw the money without any proposal being made to Bersatu for the withdrawal,” he clarified.
“In fact, Rafiq testified that there was no need for any proposal to be tabled if the money was needed for ’emergency use’, which in this case was the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The court also previously heard that Rafiq and then-Bersatu Youth assistant secretary Ahmad Redzuan Shafi went to the CIMB KL Sentral branch on March 6, 2020 to withdraw RM1 mil from the youth wing’s account.
Rafiq said the withdrawal was done on Syed Saddiq’s instructions.
Meanwhile, as for the charge of allegedly misappropriating RM120,000 from an equity linked to Armada, Gobind explained that the money was a “reimbursement” to Syed Saddiq, who was said to have spent his own money to fund his 2018 general election campaign for Muar, and that he held fundraising events to collect the money.
The hearing before Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid continues tomorrow, when deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin will reply to the defence. – April 10, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan Malaysia
