JOHOR BARU: Former Johore state executive council member Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi, his son and a property consultant were today acquitted and discharged on 33 counts of corruption and four counts of money laundering , involving RM35.7 million.
Judge Kamarudin Kamsun ordered their release after finding the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against Abdul Latif, Ahmad Fauzan Hatim and Amir Shariffuddin Abd Raub.
In the judgment, he said the court found there was no malicious intention by the three of them.
He said the credibility and intentions of the prosecution witnesses called to testify were also questionable.
The prosecution also failed to produce other state executive council members as witnesses pertaining to the dispute on the approval in the change of land status, he added.
On the corruption charges, Abdul Latif, 53, Ahmad Fauzan Hatim, 27 and Amir Shariffuddin, 46, were charged with committing the offences in April 2017 under Section 28 (1) (C) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, read together with Section 16(a)(B) of the same law.
They were also charged under Section 32(8)(c) and Section 89 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds From Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
For the money laundering charges, the offences were allegedly committed in June 2017.
The prosecution had called a total of 63 witnesses with more than 1,071 exhibits presented throughout the 40-day trial.
The case had to do with approval for the release of some Bumiputra housing lots to the public and contributions to the Johor Housing Fund for the Pulai Eco Botanic project.
The prosecution was conducted by MACC deputy public prosecutors Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry and Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abdul Rahman, while a panel of 11 lawyers led by Datuk Hasnal Redzua Merican represented Abdul Latif, Ahmad Fauzan Hatim and Amir Shariffuddin.
