Witness Reveals That He Testified Against Syed Saddiq In Fear Of MACC Probing Other Cases

By Lara Kramer  •  04 Jul 2022 in News

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Yet another turn of events has taken place in Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s CBT and money laundering trial.

Abdul Hannaan Khairy, one of the key witnesses in graft trial, has conceded that he was giving testimony out of dread of being “convicted over the other cases” by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The 29-year-old Bersatu Youth (Armada) member claimed that he has succumbed to the unrelenting pressure exerted onto him by Muar MP’s defence lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, throughout his turn on the witness stand.

The witness also told the defence that he could not recall or accurately pinpoint how many times he was urged to give his statements by MACC.

Hannaan then admitted in court that he was afraid as MACC also questioned him about other cases.

After prior denial, the witness reluctantly revealed that he was only willing to testify against Syed Saddiq in order to be spared from additional convictions relating to other cases.

As per Sinar Harian, the former youth and sports minister is currently on trial for two amended charges.

On the first charge, he is alleged of assisting former Armada Bersatu assistant treasurer-general Rafiz Hakim Razali in having committed a breach of trust (CBT) of RM1 million from the party’s CIMB Bank Bhd fund.

The purported crime occurred on March 6, 2020, at CIMB Bank Bhd, Menara CIMB, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, and the politician is now charged under Section 406 and Section 109 of the Penal Code.

On the second, Syed Saddiq is accused of misappropriating RM120,000 in donations that was initially intended for the 14th general election campaign. The funds were accumulated through a Maybank Islamic Bhd account owned by Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise, prompting Rafiz to get rid of the cash.

The crime was believed to have occurred between April 8 and April 21, 2018 at Maybank Islamic Bhd, Taman Pandan Jaya, here. If found guilty, the Muar MP may face a jail sentence of up to five years, whipping, and a potential fine.

The trial began on June 21. Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who heads the prosecution team, said six prosecution witnesses are expected to testify.

Wan Shaharuddin also stated that the prosecution intends to call 40 witnesses during the trial.

The court has reportedly scheduled hearings for June 21-22, July 4-8, and July 18-22.

Syed Saddiq has continuously said, of his extremely publicised brush with the law, that “the truth will always win.”