Malaysian Ex-Minister Syed Saddiq Convicted of Corruption; Receives 7 Years in Jail, $2.1M Fine, and Two Lashes

Former rising star in Malaysian politics, Syed Saddiq, found guilty of embezzling more than $200K of party funds while serving as youth chief and misappropriating additional funds to support his election campaign; he continues to claim charges were politically motivated.

• Syed Saddiq, previously a leading figure in the Malaysian political landscape and the leader of the Muda movement, was sentenced to seven years in prison and two lashes of the whip after being found guilty of embezzling more than $200,000 of party funds while serving as the youth chief of the Bersatu Party from 2016 to 2020.
• The former minister was also convicted of misappropriating an additional $25,650 from another party-related account to finance his own electoral campaign.
• In addition to his prison sentence and whipping punishment, the court also imposed a hefty fine of $2.1 million on Saddiq. Despite these penalties, he has been allowed a stay of execution while appealing the sentence.
• Far from accepting guilt, Saddiq has consistently maintained that the charges brought against him were politically motivated, intended to pressure him into supporting the administration of then Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in 2020.
• Saddiq, a two-term member of parliament, remains at risk of losing his seat as the threshold penalty for a parliamentarian is more than $427 or over six months in jail.

4 Articles

Time CNA South China Morning Post Reuters