THE prime minister was also shocked to find out that Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was discharged and acquitted of his graft charges, Bernama reported.

When asked on the statement of surprise by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) following the verdict, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said: “They (MACC) have a right to be shocked, I’m shocked too.”

Dr Mahathir is at the tail-end of his two-day official visit to Brunei, and was asked the question during a press conference at the Qashr Munee palace.

Lim, who was formerly Penang chief minister, was accused of using his position to buy the bungalow which he stays in for RM2.8 million, below the market value of RM4.27 million, on July 28, 2015 from his former landlady Phang Li Khoon.

He was also accused of abusing his position to obtain gratification for himself and his wife Betty Chew by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem, where Phang is reportedly a director, to convert agricultural land to residential use on July 18, 2014 in a state planning committee meeting.

The discharge and acquittal of both Lim and Phang drew raised eyebrows from anti-corruption groups while it was met with mixed reactions from social media users.

While the MACC was shocked over the verdict, Guan Eng’s lawyers said the graft busters could not have been ignorant of the prosecution’s plan to withdraw all charges. – Bernama, September 3, 2018.