PUTRAJAYA: The decision to acquit Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in the RM1.2mil graft case was made without any influence from media coverage or external opinions, according to the Court of Appeal.
Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, who chaired the three-judge panel, clarified this after the court delivered its decision to free the Muar MP on Wednesday (June 25).
The judge addressed remarks from the prosecution during previous proceedings that the court should not be swayed by public perception.
Justice Ahmad Zaidi emphasized that the court's findings were never based on any opinions outside the court.
"I think the statement by the prosecution is a bit naughty and unnecessary. Doing so can give rise to slanderous assumptions about how the court arrives at its decision.
"The court never goes beyond this trial as the judgment is purely based on appeal records. We never consider any opinion outside the court," he stated.
Other judges on the panel were Justices Azman Abdullah and Noorin Badaruddin.
Earlier, Justice Noorin spent over an hour reading out the decision in the case.
The court allowed Syed Saddiq's appeal and made an order to set aside the High Court's decision that convicted and sentenced him.
