Prosecution to amend 2 charges against Guan Eng
The prosecution in former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption case involving the Penang undersea tunnel project will amend two out of four charges made against him.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi that the amendments would be submitted to the court on Oct 28, which is the next mention date, during Lim’s presence.
Azura also allowed Shaharuddin’s application for the trial dates to...
The prosecution in former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption case involving the Penang undersea tunnel project will amend two out of four charges made against him.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi that the amendments would be submitted to the court on Oct 28, which is the next mention date, during Lim’s presence.
Azura also allowed Shaharuddin’s application for the trial dates to be decided on the same day (Oct 28).
Earlier, the judge also allowed an application by Lim’s lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, for his client to exempted from today’s proceeding as he (Lim) had to attend the Penang state assembly sitting.
On Aug 7, Lim, 60, pleaded not guilty to a charge of soliciting gratification to help a company to secure the Penang undersea tunnel project.
He was charged, in his capacity as the chief minister of Penang then, to have corruptedly solicited gratification for himself as an inducement for helping the company to secure the project.
He is alleged to have sought 10 percent of profits from Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, who is a director at Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd.
Lim was alleged to have committed the offence nearby The Gardens Hotel at Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur in March 2011.
The charge was framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24 of the same act, which provides imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Meanwhile, on Aug 10, Lim was charged in the Butterworth Sessions Court with using his position as the Penang chief minister then, for gratification amounting to RM3.3 million, as an inducement for helping Zarul's company to secure the undersea tunnel project, valued at RM6.3 billion.
On Sept 11, the Bagan MP was charged again on two counts of causing two plots of land belonging to the Penang government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed to two companies, which were linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.
On the first count, Lim was charged with causing the Penang Land Registrar to dispose of property belonging to the state government, namely, Lot Tanah No. H.S. (D) 18801, No. PT Lot 702 Seksyen 1, Bandar Tanjong Pinang, Daerah Timor Laut, Penang, worth RM135,086,094 to Ewein Zenith Sdn Bhd.
He was also accused of causing the Penang Land Registrar to dispose of Lot Tanah No.H.S. (D) 19318, No. PT Lot 10012 Seksyen 1, Bandar Tanjong Pinang, Daerah Timor Laut, worth RM73,668,986 to Zenith Urban Development Sdn Bhd.
He was alleged to have committed the offences at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Level 21, KOMTAR, on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.
The charges, under Section 403 of the Penal Code, provide for imprisonment of up to five years and whipping, and a fine, upon conviction.
- Bernama
Editor's note: Based on legal advice, the commenting feature for the above article has been disabled.
