THE Penang High Court has fixed September 3 for case management for a graft case involving former chief minister Lim Guan Eng after the prosecution requested more time to consider a request for the charges to be dropped.

Judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail said the date must be the “full stop” with no more delays for the court.

Lim was charged in 2016 with with buying his Jalan Pinhorn bungalow from his former landlady allegedly below the market price.

The postponement was after Lim’s lawyers asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers for the charges to be dropped following the change of government in Putrajaya in the 14th general election. Lim is now the finance minister. 

The defence maintained that the charges against Lim, who was formerly in the opposition, were politically motivated. 

Lim’s counsel, Ramkarpal Singh, earlier told the court that the defence were informed that the AGC needed another month to consider the representation. 

Lim was accused of using his position to seek gratification by buying the bungalow from Phang Li Khoon at RM2.8 million when the market value was said to be RM4.27 million on July 28, 2015.

Phang was charged with abetting Lim on July 28 last year in relation to the house purchase.

Lim was also accused of using his position to obtain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew, by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem to convert agricultural land to residential use during a state planning committee meeting on July 18, 2014 – an offence under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act. 

The former landlady, Phang, was reportedly a Magnificent Emblem director.

The hearing has so far gone through three days of trial in late March, with the prosecution calling up 25 out of 55 witnesses. The hearing was then postponed due to the final Dewan Rakyat sitting of the term, and then the 14th general election.

Lawyer V. Sithambaram, who heads Phang’s legal team, said his side has no objections to the postponement. 

Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Rashid Daud represented the prosecution. – July 30, 2018.