FORMER Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew, as well as businesswoman Phang Li Koon, are set to stand trial on charges of corruption involving a RM11.6 million foreign worker hostel project and money laundering.
This was after a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Datuk Azman Abdullah, who sat with Datuk Noorin Badaruddin and Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid, unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Guan Eng and Li Koon on the grounds that there was no error made by the Penang High Court.
“The principles of autrefois acquit (previously acquitted), autrefois convict (previously convicted) and estoppel (prevented) do not apply.
“The charges brought against the appellants touch on issues that are different from the charges that were previously acquitted and acquitted,” said Justice Noorin when reading the panel’s summary judgment.
The case will be mentioned in the Penang High Court on July 3.
On May 3, 2024, the Penang High Court dismissed the application by Guan Eng, Betty Chew and Li Koon to quash the charges, stating that the doctrine of autrefois acquit or the rule against double prosecution argued by the defence did not apply because it did not meet the prescribed conditions.
On May 26, 2023, Guan Eng, Chew and Li Koon filed an application to quash the corruption and money laundering charges on the grounds that the prosecution used evidence from a previous case involving Guan Eng’s purchase of a bungalow in Jalan Pinhorn, even though he was acquitted and released in 2018.
However, the prosecution insisted that the current charges were based on separate and distinct facts, which were obtained through further investigation after the previous proceedings were concluded.
Guan Eng is accused of using his position as Chief Minister of Penang and Chairman of the Penang Development Corporation Tender Board to obtain bribes in connection with the approval of the project.
He is charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act.
Businesswoman Li Koon is charged with abetting the offence at the same place and time.
Meanwhile, Guan Eng's wife, Betty Chew, faces three counts of money laundering for allegedly receiving RM372,009 from Excel Property Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd, which was deposited into her Public Bank Berhad account between 2013 and 2016.
The offence is framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act. – June 24, 2026
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