Malaysia’s Federal Court confirmed the acquittal of Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Muar MP and co-founder of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), on July 13, 2026. The court dismissed the prosecution’s final appeal against his acquittal on four charges related to criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of party funds, and money laundering connected to Armada funds in a 2-1 majority decision [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

Judges Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Collin Lawrence Sequerah formed the majority, while Court of Appeal president Abu Bakar Jais dissented partly. Jais found Syed Saddiq guilty of three charges—misappropriation of RM120,000 and two counts of money laundering involving RM50,000 each—but acquitted him on the criminal breach of trust charge involving RM1 million. All judges agreed the RM1 million withdrawal by Armada assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali in March 2020 was not an offence under Bersatu party rules and was used legitimately for the party’s purposes [4, 5, 6].

The charges stemmed from withdrawals and transfers between 2018 and 2020, including alleged misuse of RM120,000 from Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise funds in April 2018 and two money laundering counts in June 2018 transferring RM50,000 each into Syed Saddiq’s Amanah Saham Bumiputera account [7, 2, 3, 8].

Syed Saddiq was originally convicted by the High Court on November 9, 2023, receiving a seven-year prison sentence, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine. On June 25, 2025, the Court of Appeal overturned this conviction, acquitting and discharging him. The prosecution promptly appealed to the Federal Court the next day [7, 2, 3, 8].

The Federal Court ruling, initially set for June 30 but postponed due to medical leave of a judge, was delivered in the early morning of July 13 at the Palace of Justice. Public and media interest was high. Syed Saddiq attended with family, fiancée Bella Astillah, and supporters [9, 10, 11].

After the verdict, Syed Saddiq expressed relief and said he would focus on his family and personal life, while affirming his ongoing political commitment: "I want to spend time with my family. I also want to sort out my personal life. But the fire to help build a Malaysia will never ever go," he said [12].

Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said he had fulfilled his duty leading the prosecution and left it to the Attorney-General to decide whether to seek a review of the Federal Court’s decision [4].

Syed Saddiq, 33, has been involved in legal proceedings spanning nearly six years. The Federal Court’s ruling preserves his parliamentary seat and leaves room for his political career to be rebuilt [7, 2, 5].

His legal representation was led by senior lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, with the prosecution team headed by deputy public prosecutors including Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin [7, 4, 9].