BETTY Chew said she is being persecuted just because she is the wife of former finance minister Lim Guan Eng.

Chew earlier today pleaded not guilty to three separate charges under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).

The authorities are going after her, she said, and eventually will try to destroy the Lim family.

“You want to break my relationship with Lim Guan Eng, so he will let me go. You want to destroy him as a man.

“They created a frivolous and baseless accusation against him, against me. Their intention is to break him, to break me and to break our family,” Chew said in a press conference while holding back her tears.

She was shocked the prosecution charged her with three separate charges, alleging she received the money through ill-gotten means.

“Why are there three charges of AMLA? I’m not a tai ka che (big sister) or kak long of a certain community. I am just perplexed. Is it it because I’m Lim Guan Eng’s wife?”

The lawyer said if her family could face this kind of prosecution, other families in Malaysia will also be subjected to a similar fate.

“This is terrible and it’s a sad day for Malaysia.

“If this can happen to me, my family, it can happen to anybody in Malaysia. If they come for us, they will come for you, too,” Chew said.

The 56-year-old added that the family will continue to back Lim as they believe he is innocent of all charges.

Lim was charged earlier today of having obtained gratification for Chew through Excel Property Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd. – August 11, 2020.