KUALA LUMPUR: Former Youth and Sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been ordered to enter his defence on all four charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of assets and money laundering.
High Court judicial commissioner Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid said the prosecution had successfully adduced credible evidence proving each essential ingredient of the offences.
He said a prima facie case had therefore been made out against the accused and ordered him to enter his defence.
He then gave Syed Saddiq three options - give sworn evidence from the witness box, give an unsworn statement from the dock where he cannot be cross-examined or choose to remain silent, in which case the court must proceed to convict him.
Syed Saddiq's defence counsel Gobind Singh Deo told the court that the accused will be giving sworn evidence from the witness box.
The judge then fixed the trial dates for Syed Saddiq to enter his defence on Febuary 22 to 24, March 13 to 14 and April 10 to 14 last year.
He set early next year fro hearing to give way for the coming General Election on November 19 this year.
Syed Saddiq was ordered to enter his defence against one charge of abetting Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's (Bersatu) treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali with criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM1 million of the organisation's funds.
The court also ordered him to enter defence against one charge of misusing property for himself, namely RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise, by causing Rafiq to dispose of the money and two counts of engaging in money laundering, namely two transactions of RM50,000, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic Bhd account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.