RM1 million withdrawal not ordered by Syed Saddiq - witness

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur was told today that the RM1 million withdrawal from the Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada) account was not ordered by Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Armada’s former information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin, 31, said during a G5 discussion at Syed Saddiq's house, the former youth and sports minister never ordered its former assistant treasurer, Rafiq Hakim Razali, to withdraw the money.

"In the discussion, it was stated that the withdrawal amount was according to needs after Rafiq Hakim discussed with the exco members who were responsible," Ulya Aqamah (above) said when reading his witness statement on the third day of Syed Saddiq’s defence proceedings against four charges of abetting criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of assets and money laundering.

Apart from Ulya Aqamah, the G5 group consisted of Bersatu Youth Wing top leaders, namely Syed Saddiq, who was Armada chief, Rafiq Hakim, the then assistant secretary Ahmad Redzuan Mohamed Shafi and then vice-chief Mohd Aizad Roslan.

According to Ulya Aqamah, he was not aware of how Rafiq Hakim finally chose to divide and distribute the funds.

'No paperwork needed…'

"The distribution of aid from the funds was on an ad hoc basis. Therefore, there was no paperwork needed for the purpose. No paperwork was ever presented to the Bersatu Supreme Council throughout my term.

"Therefore, I  have no reason to believe that paperwork should be presented to Bersatu Supreme Council for any production, expenditure or management of any Armada or Bersatu programmes," he said.

In addition, Ulya Aqamah said Syed Saddiq had never said that he is entitled to the money in Armada's account because it is the result of his hard work and it was needed to build political advantage.

Referring the witness to his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said his statement contradicted the witness statement in court today.

Wan Shaharuddin: “Your (Ulya Aqamah) statement to the MACC stated that you did not know that YB Syed Saddiq ordered Rafiq Hakim to withdraw RM1 million but in your testimony in court today, you said Syed Saddiq never ordered Rafiq Hakim to withdraw RM1 million.

“Do you agree that these two statements are contradictory and your statement in court today is a lie and an afterthought?” 

Ulya Aqamah: I disagree.

The third defence witness disagreed he was unaware of the directive to withdraw the RM1 million because the discussion with the G5 group did not involve him and Mohd Aizad. It only involved Syed Saddiq, Rafiq Hakim and Ahmad Redzuan.

Wan Shaharudin then requested to include three pages of Ulya Aqamah’s entire statement to the MACC as an exhibit, but lawyer Gobind Sing Deo objected on the grounds that the statement could not be used to challenge the credibility of the witness who is a defence witness.

Judge Azhar Abdul Hamid allowed the prosecution’s request.

Asked by lawyer Tiara Katrina Fuad to explain the contradiction in the statement, the witness said the MACC investigating officer had posed two different questions.

“When the MACC (investigating officer) asked whether, during the meeting, YB Syed Saddiq ordered the withdrawal of RM1 million, I replied no, he did not order, this (answer) is the same as the statement (in court).

“When the MACC asked that maybe (there were discussions) asking Rafiq Hakim to withdraw RM1 million, I said I don’t know,” Ulya Aqamah said, adding that his statement to the MACC was consistent with his statement in court.

Syed Saddiq, 30, is charged, as the then Bersatu Youth wing or Armada chief, with abetting Rafiq Hakim, who was entrusted with RM1 million 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 in Kuala Lumpur on March 6, 2020.

The Johor Bahru native is also charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking Bhd, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, between April 8 and 21, 2018.

He also faces two counts of money laundering, namely two transactions of RM50,000 each believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account at a bank on Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.

The trial before Judge Azhar Abdul Hamid continues on March 13.

- Bernama

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