Malaysia's youngest former minister faces jail, caning

Syed Saddiq, a 30-year-old former minister, was sentenced to seven years in prison and two strokes of the cane for corruption, but the sentence was suspended on appeal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said today that the Court of First Instance found former Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman guilty of a series of charges including criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering.

According to the ruling, Syed Saddiq assisted a Bersatu official in embezzling one million ringgit from the funds of Armada, the youth wing of Bersatu, in March 2020. He was also charged with embezzling 120,000 ringgit (about $25,000) from another party account in April 2018.

The 30-year-old MP will be the first Malaysian politician to face caning for corruption, a punishment that is applied to male criminals under the age of 50. In addition to facing two strokes of the cane, Syed Saddiq was also sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 10 million ringgit (about 2.1 million USD).

Former minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman (center) outside the court in Malaysia on November 9. Photo: FMT

Syed Saddiq told reporters outside the court that he respected the verdict, but would appeal to the Court of Appeal. He added that he was prepared to face public criticism after the verdict.

The former Malaysian minister said he would step down as president of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) party, but remain an MP while he appeals.

"During the appeal, I am not worthy of that role and need to clear my name in court," he said. "I have a duty not only to the public but also to party members and leaders."

Syed Saddiq added that vice president Amira Aisya will serve as acting president of the Muda party.

Speaker Johari Abdul confirmed that the senior MP would not be forced to step down until he had exhausted all legal avenues to clear his name. The court also granted Syed Saddiq a stay of execution pending an appeal.

While still a member of Bersatu, Syed Saddiq was appointed as the Minister of Youth and Sports of Malaysia in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) cabinet in 2018 at the age of 25, becoming the youngest minister since Malaysia's independence.

After PH lost power in March 2020, Syed Saddiq founded and headed the Muda Party, which is also Malaysia's first youth-based political party in the opposition bloc.

Thanh Tam (According to Straits Times )

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