Syed Saddiq Walks Free After Six-Year Court Battle Ends in Acquittal

Malaysian politician Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been finally cleared of all four criminal charges after the Federal Court, in a 2-1 majority decision on Monday (July 13), dismissed the prosecution's final appeal.

The ruling upholds the Court of Appeal's acquittal, ending a legal battle that spanned nearly six years.

An emotional Syed Saddiq thanked Allah before expressing his gratitude to his parents, family, legal team and supporters for standing by him throughout the ordeal.

He also paid tribute to his fiancée, singer and actress Bella Astillah, for her unwavering support during the case.

On a lighter note, he joked that with the court proceedings finally behind him, he had also received the blessing of his parents to move forward with their marriage plans, drawing cheers and laughter from supporters outside the Palace of Justice.

The case began with investigations in 2020, before Syed Saddiq was charged in 2021 over RM112 million linked to Bersatu Youth (Armada) funds.

He faced one count of abetting criminal breach of trust involving RM1 million, one count of dishonest misappropriation of RM120,000, and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each, all of which he consistently denied.

In November 2023, the High Court convicted him on all four charges and sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment, two strokes of the cane and a RM10 million fine.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in June 2025, ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Attorney General's Chambers appealed, but Monday's Federal Court ruling brought the case to a definitive close, leaving the former youth and sports minister fully acquitted.