KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will contest the Session Court’s acquittal today of former Johor exco Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi over 37 charges of corruption and money laundering from a previous a housing and land scandal.

The commission said it will file the notice of its appeal within the 14-day deadline to do so.

"[The MACC] will appeal the matter to the High Court following discussions with the deputy public prosecutor,” it said in a statement today.

This morning, Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun in Johor Baru fully acquitted Latif, his son Ahmad Fauzan Hatim, and property consultant Amir Shariffuddin Abd Raub who had been jointly charged with him.

In April 2017, all three were charged with 33 offences under Section 28(1)(c) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act that prohibits the abetting or engagement in a criminal conspiracy to commit any offence under the Act.

They had also been hit with four charges under Section 32(8)(c) and Section 89 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2001.

The MACC also froze 45 bank accounts valued at RM15.5 million and seized 21 luxury cars, five high-powered motorcycles, RM500,000 in cash, including foreign currencies, as well as documents to assist investigations then.