Syed Saddiq beats prosecution's appeal on corruption charges, hints at marriage next

After six years of legal battles, Malaysian politician Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman can finally turn the page after the country's Federal Court upheld his acquittal on graft charges on Jul. 13.

Two of the three judges agreed to dismiss the prosecution's appeal, reported The Malay Mail.

The former youth and sports minister was first charged in 2021 with

• abetting a criminal breach of trust involving RM1 million (S$317,600) of funds from his former party Bersatu's youth wing;
• dishonestly misappropriating RM120,000 (S$38,112) allegedly belonging to the youth wing's company;
• and money laundering

The 33-year-old was convicted at the end of 2023 and sentenced to seven years' jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million (S$3.17 million) fine.

By 2025, Malaysia's Court of Appeal unanimously voted to acquit Syed Sadiq, prompting the prosecution to appeal the acquittal.

According to The New Straits Times, the Federal Court's judgement agreed with the Court of Appeal's finding that the prosecution had failed to prove the essential elements of the offences.

Future plans

Addressing the media after the trial concluded, Syed Saddiq thanked his fiancée Bella Astillah and hinted that they would soon tie the knot.

He had gotten engaged to the actress-singer in March 2026.

"It’s not easy to be with me as when we hooked up I was found guilty," he was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying.

"However, I have the green light from the elders to proceed but to comment further, I’ll do it out of court."

On his political future, the Muar MP asked for "a little bit of time" before revealing his plans, saying that he first wanted to spend time with his family and get his personal life in order.

However, he added that "the fire to help rebuild Malaysia would never end".