The two additional charges against me today are baseless

MP SPEAKS | The two additional charges against me today are baseless, politically motivated and abuse of power by the unelected government to smear and tarnish my reputation in the run-up to the elections, whether in Sabah or nationally.

Whether this is an attempt to affect our preparations for the elections in Sabah, or it is an act of political vengeance or to divert attention from the many controversies or scandals of the current unelected government, is open to public speculation.

I will prove my innocence in court, particularly when no gratification or corruption money was found in either my personal bank account or in my possession in cash.

It is disappointing that the relevant authorities, including the MACC, have allowed themselves to be used or misused to conduct this political witch hunt against me based on flimsy evidence. On the other hand, no such action is taken by the MACC against leaders of the present government with irrefutable facts or solid evidence.

I wish to thank my family, all party members and supporters for their faith and trust in my integrity. My gratitude to Malaysians who strongly supported and contributed to the “RM10 per person Solidarity with Lim Guan Eng Fund”, collecting RM4 million in a week. I am touched by the public support and their passionate belief in my integrity and DAP’s principled stance against corruption.

The two new charges again relate to the Penang Undersea Tunnel and three highways project (tunnel project) awarded by the Penang state government in 2013 to Consortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group (CZBUCG).

CZBUCG was awarded the contract by open tender from the State Tender Committee, headed by the Penang State Secretary and comprising senior government officers as members. Even though I am not a member of the State Tender Committee, I am still charged in line with the current thinking of “Semua salah Lim Guan Eng”.

Despite being questioned five times by the MACC on this matter, no question was asked about any gratification or corruption money being discovered in my bank account or in cash. Since the authorities could not find corruption money in my possession, was this the reason my wife Betty Chew was also charged with receiving RM372,000?

This is ridiculous, as my wife is a qualified lawyer and the RM372,000 are her legal consultancy fees, received over a two-year period, not in one lump sum. The authorities must be pretty desperate to try to link legal consultancy fees received by my wife as corruption money received by me.

There are four contradictions in the charges against me.

How can there be corruption when no corruption money was discovered in my possession, and my wife does not own hundreds of millions in cash, expensive jewellery and hundreds of branded handbags?

How can there be corruption or abuse of power when the tunnel project was awarded by open tender and decisions were made by state government officials, the State Executive Council or relevant specialised technical committees and not decided by me alone?

How can there be corruption or abuse of power when payments made to CZBUCG must be approved by Penang state government officials, after getting the consent from an independent professional engineering consulting firm appointed by open tender?

How can there be corruption when CZBUCG, in 2019, had publicly denied in the press of bribing any Penang state government officers, and that the MACC had cleared the company and its chairperson of any bribery or corrupt acts?

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LIM GUAN ENG is Bagan MP, former finance minister, and former Penang chief minister. - Mkini