KUALA LUMPUR — The legal fate of Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman rests entirely with the Federal Court as the apex court prepares to deliver its final, definitive verdict tomorrow morning.
Lead prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin confirmed his team has completed its duties in the interest of justice. Speaking ahead of the judgment, he stated that the prosecution will fully accept and respect whatever decision the country’s highest judicial body delivers.
Tomorrow’s high-stakes ruling concludes a volatile legal journey for the former youth and sports minister. A three-member Federal Court bench must decide whether to uphold or overturn the Court of Appeal’s June 2025 decision, which fully acquitted and discharged Syed Saddiq of all charges. That appellate ruling had completely set aside an earlier High Court conviction carrying a severe sentence of seven years in prison, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
The case saw an unusual development during hearings in December last year. The apex court bench took the rare step of directing both legal teams to pause and reconsider their respective positions before the court proceeded to a final judgment. Despite this judicial invitation to reassess the merits of the case, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ultimately instructed the prosecution team to maintain its submissions and press forward with the appeal.
Following a six-month deliberation period to weigh those final arguments, the apex court is now ready to reconvene in Putrajaya. A dismissal tomorrow means Syed Saddiq walks away permanently free. However, if the court allows the prosecution’s appeal, his previous conviction and prison sentence could be completely reinstated.
The Muar representative faces four distinct charges. These include allegedly abetting the misappropriation of RM1 million belonging to Bersatu’s youth wing, Armada, in March 2020. Additionally, he faces a secondary charge of misusing RM120,000 in party funds alongside two separate counts of money laundering.
