Syed Saddiq gets temporary passport release for S'pore, Taiwan trip

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been granted a temporary release of his court-impounded passport so the Muar MP can travel to Singapore and Taiwan.

A three-person Court of Appeal bench chaired by judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail unanimously allowed the temporary release of the travel document from today until June 18.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali did not object to the application when asked by the judge.

It is understood that prosecutors had no objection as they found the reasons cited for the temporary release reasonable.

The bench comprising judges Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Azmi Ariffin, allowed an application by Syed Saddiq’s counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik for the court to issue a letter for the immigration director-general to allow the applicant to travel for the said period.

“The passport is to be returned on or by June 18,” Hadhariah ruled.

The court is holding on to Syed Saddiq’s passport, pending disposal of his appeal to quash his conviction as well as a sentence of seven years in jail, RM10 million fine and two strokes of the cane over four counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering.

Wedding and economic forum

On May 8, Bernama reported that Syed Saddiq filed a temporary passport release bid to attend the wedding of his close friend’s daughter on May 18 in Singapore.

In his supporting affidavit, the former Muda president said he wanted to accept former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo Yong-Boon’s invitation as his friend had always given him advice and guidance on how to be a politician with integrity.

Syed Saddiq also said he was invited as one of Malaysia’s representatives by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia to visit Taiwan from June 10 to 15.

On Nov 9 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found the 31-year-old guilty and imposed the sentence. However, the execution of the sentencing is stayed pending disposal of his appeal, which is set for case management before the Court of Appeal on July 12.

Syed Saddiq was charged with abetting Bersatu Youth’s former assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali - who was entrusted with RM1 million of the wing’s funds - to commit CBT by misappropriating the funds.

He was also charged with misappropriating RM120,000 from Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise’s Maybank Islamic Bhd account by making Rafiq dispose of the money.

For the two counts framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, Syed Saddiq was accused of laundering money via transactions of RM50,000 each.

They were alleged to be proceeds from unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account in a bank at Jalan Persisiran Perling, Taman Perling, Johor Baru, on June 16 and 19, 2018.

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