EX-JOHOR EXCO MAN FREED OF 37 CHARGES
Credibility, intentions of prosecution witnesses questionable, says judge
FORMER Johor executive council member Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi, his son and a property consultant were acquitted and discharged from 33 counts of corruption and four counts of money laundering amounting to RM35.7 million.
Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun ordered the release of Latif, 53, Ahmad Fauzan Hatim, 27, and Amir Shariffuddin Abd Raub, 56, after finding the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against the trio.
In his judgment, Kamarudin said the court found that there was no malicious intent by the three.
He said the credibility and intentions of the prosecution witnesses were questionable.
He said 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.
In April 2017, the three were slapped with 33 offences under Section 28(1)(c) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act.
The legal provision prohibits abetting or engagement in a criminal conspiracy to commit any offence.
The trio were also charged with four charges under Section 32(8)(c) and Section 89 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001.
Latif was accused of conspiring
with Amir to receive bribes from several individuals to obtain approval for the release of Bumiputera housing lots to the public.
He was also accused of reducing payments in contribution to the Johor Housing Fund for the Pulai Eco Botanic project.
Amir was accused of obtaining bribes from several individuals for himself and for Latif for the same purpose.
MACC froze 45 bank accounts valued at RM15.5 million and seized 21 luxury cars, five highpowered motorcycles, RM500,000 in cash, including foreign currencies, as well as documents, to assist investigations.
During the 40-day trial, the prosecution called 63 witnesses and exhibited more than 1,000 items of evidence.
MACC’s Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry and Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abdul Rahman prosecuted.
The defence was represented by Datuk Hasnal Rezua Merican, Datuk Sallehudin Saidin, Azrul Zulkifli Stork, Datuk Khairul Anwar Rahmat, Rahim Aidil, Nur Hafidzah Md Yusuff, Siti Sarah Khalil and Hafez Zalkapli.
Fadhly said the prosecution would file an appeal at the Johor Baru High Court within 14 days.
“The instructions I received were to file a notice of appeal beforehand to the Court of Appeal here.
“So we will have to wait for the full court judgment from Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun. We (the prosecution) will file (a notice of appeal) within 14 days here.”