The legal team of Lim Guan Eng said today that testimony from a prosecution witness in the Penang chief minister’s corruption trial is proof that he did not purchase the contentious Jalan Pinhorn bungalow at below market value.
Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said one of the prosecution witnesses this morning, Citibank sales manager Lim Wern Shern told the court today that the RM2.8 million purchase price for the bungalow was most likely agreed upon by both parties before August 2013.
Wern Shern had agreed that house buyers usually agree upon the price of units before signing the sales and purchase agreement.
His testimony, Gobind said, demolishes the prosecution's charge that Lim had bought the unit below the claimed 2015 market valuation of RM4.27 million.
“It is very clear that the prosecution witness had conceded that the agreement about the price of the property in question was made before August 2013.
"We will prove in this trial that in actual fact, the price of the house was agreed upon during the first quarter of 2012.
"In this case, we stand firmly that the chief minister had not done anything wrong, nor has the second accused, (businessperson) Phang Li Koon, as alleged by the prosecution," Gobind told reporters outside the Penang High court today.
Lim is being charged with using his position as a public officer to gain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, by approving the application for conversion of agriculture land to a public housing zone in southwest Penang to Magnificient Emblem Sdn Bhd.
He is also charged with using his position to obtain for himself a plot of land and a bungalow, located at No 25, Jalan Pinhorn, George Town, from Phang for RM2.8 million, a price which he allegedly knew did not commensurate with the property’s then market value of RM4.27 million.
Phang is alleged to be a shareholder in Magnificient Emblem. Both Lim and Phang had denied the allegations and claimed trial.
Gobind also said that the 14 individuals presented by the prosecution today were "formal" witnesses who were asked to verify official documents, such as the house title and bank cheques.
Contractors were called to show that Phang had carried out renovation works in the house, while bank officers were presented to verify that Lim had paid for the deposit of the unit via cheques.
"We have always taken the position that evidence will show that the agreed price of the house was reached in the first quarter of 2012.
"Under these circumstances, it is our position that there is no basis to the charge against the chief minister that he purchased the house in 2015, below market value.
"The accusations are baseless and we will fight it to the end," Gobind stressed.
'Political conspiracy'
Lim also told reporters that the media had missed out on Gobind’s “excellent” cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Muhsin Latheef, who had lodged the report against Lim to the MACC.
Yesterday, Gobind showed that Muhsin, also known by his pen name "Mamu Parpu", is a strong supporter of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
"He even had the hashtag ‘Kami Gang Najib’," Lim reminded.
"It is a political conspiracy, we hope to prove this in court so at least I can clear my name," Lim stressed.
High Court Judge Hadharian Syed Ismail postponed the court case to April 9, to allow Gobind and Lim to carry out their parliamentary duties. -Mkini
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