PENANG Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s graft trial over his Jalan Pinhorn bungalow has been postponed until next month.

Penang High Court judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail said the trial will resume on April 9 at 9.30am.

“We will free up March 28 to 30 to allow counsel Gobind to attend Parliament,” she said after the prosecution was done with its last witness of the day.

Lim, who is Bagan MP, and his lawyers Gobind Singh Deo and Ramkarpal Singh, who are the Puchong and Bukit Gelugor MPs, respectively, are required to attend the ongoing Dewan Rakyat sitting tomorrow. All three are in DAP.

Gobind said he had made an appeal to Hadhariah to allow them to attend the sitting.

Their attendance is crucial as the controversial redelineation motion is to be tabled for the first reading tomorrow at the Dewan Rakyat. 

Pakatan Harapan lawmakers are against the redelineation, which they argue is in favour of Barisan Nasional and will help the ruling coalition retain power in the next general election.

Lim’s trial was set to take place over this entire week. Yesterday was the first day of trial.

The prosecution is calling 55 witnesses. So far 25 witnesses have been called.

Lim was accused of using his position to obtain gratification for himself and his wife Betty Chew by buying the bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn from his former landlady Phang Li Khoon at RM2.8 million, which is allegedly below the market price.

The prosecution is seeking to prove the property was valued at RM4.27 million at the time of the purchase, that Lim knew he was buying the house below the market price, and that Phang had suffered RM494,784 in losses the whole time she had rented the bungalow to Lim from July 2009 to June 2015.

Phang is charged with abetting Lim under Section 109 of the Penal Code, which is read together with Section 165 of the Penal Code, which comes with jail of up to two years, fine, or both upon conviction.

Lim faces a second charge under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act for allegedly using his position to obtain gratification for himself and his wife  by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem to convert agricultural land to residential use during a state planning committee meeting on July 18, 2014. – March 27, 2018.