LGE: Why arrest leader of ‘cleanest’ State Govt for graft?

© Provided by MToday News Sdn Bhd LGEKUALA LUMPUR: The Penang State Government has been acknowledged time and time again as one of the “cleanest” states in the country, said its Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

So why is the head of this state government now arrested for corruption, he questioned.

“Everyone knows we run the cleanest government in Malaysia. We were praised by Transparency International. Which other state government received the same praise?

“And every year the Auditor-General’s Report has named Penang as the best-managed state in the country.

“Yet, the leader is now charged for corrupt practices, although no form of benefits can be proven from these allegations,” said Lim at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters here this afternoon.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, also questioned the need for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to detain him overnight.

“Am I going to run away? Am I not going to appear in court? That’s what BN wants and I think the public can see the injustice in the way my arrest was conducted.”

Lim was arrested on Wednesday and the morning after, was charged under Sect 23 of the MACC Act for allowing an application to rezone a piece of land owned by businesswoman Phang Li Khoon’s company Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd (MESB), and Sect 165 of the Penal Code for buying a property below market value.

To this, he said there was no benefit accrued from the land which remained zoned as agricultural instead of housing as was requested by MESB.

“There was no benefit, unlike the clear debts accrued by 1MDB, and the billions of ringgit received by the prime minister (Najib Razak).

“Do not think Malaysians are stupid, they are not.”