‘Always sincere': Bella Astillah says glad Syed Saddiq's integrity paid off with acquittal, shuts down engagement talk
Speaking to reporters today at the Court of Appeal (CoA), where the Muar MP was acquitted of all four charges of corruption and money laundering against him, 31-year-old Bella said there are no talks of an engagement between the two for now.
'I think since we just heard the decision and we're here for that we will focus on this for now,' she said.
'Any plans for the future and such, as I've said before, I will inform and share my plans then,' she added.
Bella said that it had been a very difficult time for Syed Saddiq and his family, and that they were all grateful for the outcome.
'He is very sincere in everything he does, he does it properly and with integrity. I feel that's the reason he got a favourable decision today,' she added.
Actress and singer Bella Astillah speaks to the press following Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's acquittal of four corruption and money laundering charges at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya today. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Syed Saddiq, 32, was acquitted today by a unanimous three-member Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, with Justices Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin concurring.
He had been convicted in November 2023 on four charges — abetting criminal breach of trust involving RM1 million, misappropriating RM120,000 in party funds, and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each allegedly transferred from his personal account.
The offences were said to have occurred between 2018 and 2020.
The High Court had sentenced him to seven years in jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
However, the Court of Appeal today ruled that the trial judge had seriously erred by failing to properly evaluate the defence's evidence and by not establishing whether the withdrawals were carried out dishonestly or linked to unlawful activities.
As a result, the panel set aside both the conviction and sentence, clearing Syed Saddiq of all charges.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
‘Shine a spotlight on our semiconductor makers'
Beacon of the region: Anwar (third from left) visiting booths at the Asean Semiconductor Summit 2025, accompanied by Tengku Zafrul (second from left). — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Malaysians must take pride in having not just 'Made in Malaysia' goods but also those that are 'Made by Malaysians' such as semiconductors, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 'Our mindset must shift from just having 'Made in Malaysia' products to creating 'Made by Malaysian' products.' 'In terms of growing 10 semiconductor firms with revenue of more than US$1bil and 100 others with revenue less than RM1bil, I am proud to share that Malaysia now has at least 13 homegrown companies (across the semiconductor value chain) emerging as potential national champions. 'Less than 50 years from now, we want Malaysia to be able to look back at this moment as the tipping point when the country began grooming its very own Fortune 500 tech companies.' Malaysia is currently the world's sixth largest exporter of semiconductors. Anwar, who spoke at the closing of the Asean Semiconductor Summit 2025 here yesterday, said investors are always welcome but Malaysia would be more strategic and prudent by choosing partners 'who strengthen our supply chains, transfer their knowledge and technologies, and deliver real value to Malaysians'. He also pointed out that the National Semiconductor Strategy launched last year has proven to be successful as Malaysia has secured more than RM63bil worth of investments for the industry as of March this year. This comprised RM58bil from foreign sources with the rest from domestic sources. 'Our established semiconductor ecosystem is well-poised to help us move beyond an FDI-first model and focus on building homegrown champions. 'We want long-term collaborators who grow with us. The most important target now is to deliver the 10+100. 'This means building 10 Malaysian semiconductor and supply chain companies with revenues between RM1bil and RM4.7bil, and nurturing at least 100 more to approach the RM1bil mark. 'These companies will not only export Malaysian products to the world, but also bring our knowledge, value creation and talent into Asean and the global markets. They will be our flag bearers abroad, rooted at home.' Anwar said more than 60,000 engineers would be created in a partnership between the Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology under the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry and HRD Corp under the Human Resources Ministry with an allocation of RM1.2bil over five years. He also called on Asean countries to work as a community to address the shortage in skilled workers for the semiconductor industry. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said 'Made by Malaysia' is a vision that requires a whole-of-nation effort. 'Every RM1 spent triggers over RM2 in direct output across the economy – through supply chains, supporting sectors and household incomes. 'In total, the industry generated RM4.9 trillion in economic output last year, underscoring its role as a national multiplier,' he said. He also said Asean countries must move beyond fragmented efforts and instead embrace a collective 'race to the top,' leveraging each nation's unique strengths.
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
No prospecting licence issued to Farhash-linked firm, says Sabah land dept
Sabah lands and surveys department director Bernard Liew said allegations claiming that Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd had been awarded a mineral prospecting licence in Sabah are baseless. PETALING JAYA : The Sabah lands and surveys department maintains that no mineral prospecting licence had been issued to Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd, the company linked to businessman Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak. The department's director, Bernard Liew, said no prospecting licence was awarded to the company under the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960 and that allegations claiming otherwise were baseless. He added that the department was the authoritative body governing mining in the Bornean state. 'Any mineral exploration activity in Sabah can only be conducted after obtaining a legitimate licence issued under Sections 6 and 8 of the Sabah Mining Ordinance. 'And this is subject to technical conditions and other relevant laws that are already in place. The department views seriously any statement made via the media that can mislead the public,' he said in a statement. MalaysiaNow previously reported that Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM) had awarded Bumi Suria an exploration licence for coal mining. The report said it had been granted exclusive rights to explore and search for minerals on 70,000ha of forest reserve in Kalabakan and Gunung Rara near the Kalimantan border. In a statement to FMT, SMM CEO Natasha Sim said the state government agency was not a licence-awarding body, nor did it have jurisdiction to award or issue licences. On Monday, Farhash said his lawyers had served MalaysiaNow with a cease and desist letter, saying allegations that he owned Bumi Suria and that the company had been awarded a mineral prospecting or exploration licence in Sabah were false and defamatory. The lawyers said Farhash was merely a director and shareholder of Bumi Suria, and demanded that the article be removed from the website and all social media channels.
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
2 more local council officers nabbed in RM200,000 bribery probe
An MACC source said the two local council officers are believed to have received the bribes from contractors for the repair of footpaths, fences and rebuilding of mosques. SANDAKAN : Two more officers of a local authority have been remanded for five days to assist in investigations into a bribery case involving RM200,000 allegedly received from several contractors since 2022 in return for repair work on an infrastructure project. According to a source, initial investigations found that the suspects, a man and a woman in their 20s and 30s, respectively, were suspected of abetting in the act of corruption from 2022 until now. 'The arrests of the suspects follow five recent arrests. 'The two suspects are believed to have received bribes of about RM200,000 through transfers to their personal bank accounts from contractors for the repair of footpaths, fences and rebuilding of mosques,' he said. Sources said the two suspects were arrested between 7pm and 8pm last night after giving their statements at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here. Sabah MACC director S Karunanithy confirmed the arrests when contacted and said more individuals could be detained in the near future. Yesterday, MACC remanded five people, including an engineer at a local council, until July 29 to assist in investigations into the same case. Senior assistant MO nabbed for alleged abuse of power MACC also obtained a four-day remand order for a senior assistant medical officer who allegedly abused his position to award logistics-related work to a company owned by his wife. In a statement, Labuan MACC said the suspect in his 50s was detained at its office at 5.40pm yesterday when he arrived to give a statement. He is suspected of having misused his position at his workplace in 2023 and 2024 to secure forwarding and logistics contracts worth RM20,000 for his wife's firm. Labuan MACC director Azis Malmod said the case is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 for abuse of power for personal gain.
