Abd Latif to be charged tomorrow for power abuse and corruption

JOHOR BARU: Former Johor state executive councillor Datuk Abd Latif Bandi (pix) who was arrested early last month by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) involving a land scandal is expected to be charged tomorrow for power abuse and corruption.
MACC sources who confirmed this said Abd Latif will be produced in court here to face the charges.
The councillor who held the state's local government and housing portfolio was held on March 9 for investigations for allegedly aiding the illegal conversion of bumiputera land to non-bumiputera status for disposal at higher prices.
The conversion involved hundreds of plots worth tens of millions of ringgit.
Days before his arrest, the MACC detained in Johor seven people, including Abd Latif's son, his special political officer, a lawyer and a housing developer, all aged between 25 and 50.
Apart from cash of over RM500,000, 21 luxury cars and high-powered motorcycles seized in the raids, MACC officers also seized 150 designer handbags during the raid.
The MACC also froze 45 bank accounts of the suspects found with over RM15.5 million in it.
Investigations by the anti-graft body revealed the suspects were allegedly in cahoots with civil servants from the Johor Land Office and other government departments in lowering the premium of land which had been approved for housing and industrial projects, as well as in converting the titles of various premises in the state.
This resulted in the state government losing millions of ringgit.
On March 8, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin dropped Abd Latif from the exco line-up.