[UPDATED] High-profile developer found dead on ground floor of Penang condo

GEORGE TOWN – A prominent developer was found dead on the ground floor of his luxury residence at Palazzo Condominium in Pulau Tikus here this morning.

The developer, sources say, is Ewein Bhd president and group managing director Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng.

Ewe is believed to be among the witnesses in the undersea tunnel trial involving former finance minister Lim Guan Eng.

Ewe was also remanded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to facilitate investigations linked to the undersea tunnel project in January 2018.

Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong said police received an emergency call from the public at 5am, informing them of the discovery of the body at the condominium building.

Soffian said the victim’s body was sent to Penang Hospital’s Forensic Unit for a post-mortem and Covid-19 test.

He, however, declined to confirm the victim’s identity.

“When police arrived at the scene, the victim was already dead. Police are still investigating the identity of the victim and cause of the incident,” he told The Vibes.

Ewe hailed from a family involved in liquor distribution during the 1980s.

In the 1990s, Ewe, who was already in the development sector, also started importing manufactured construction materials from China.

In 1990, he established Precision Press Industries to design and fabricate precision moulds, tools, and stamping dies for the sheet metal fabrication industry.

His flagship company – the publicly listed Ewein Bhd – later mooted the first phase of the City of Dreams high-rise living project near the Gurney Wharf reclaimed site.

City of Dreams is a 1.48ha seafront development located in Bandar Tg Pinang, overlooking Gurney Drive. It has 37 storeys of the serviced apartments, which is almost complete.

The company also won the bid to renovate Fort Cornwallis at the Esplanade.

Ewe was also a big contributor to the education sector. He sat on the board of the Penang Han Chiang Associated Chinese Schools Association and a member of the Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged.

His first project was the 17-storey Palazzo condominium project in Pulau Tikus. But unfortunately, it was the same place where he was found dead around 2am today.

Many of his peers described Ewe, as a visionary developer, who saw the potential of Penang’s real estate market with similar traits to Singapore and Hong Kong. – The Vibes, October 5, 2021

Additional reporting by Ian McIntyre