Developer found dead at condo was due to testify in Guan Eng trial next month

GEORGE TOWN – Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng, who was found dead at 2am today on the ground floor of his Pulau Tikus condominium, had been expected to testify on November 29 and 30 at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court as a prosecution witness in Lim Guan Eng’s graft trial.

A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission source told The Vibes that Ewe had offered to be a prosecution witness to help the anti-graft body and clear the controversies surrounding him.

“He was not the main witness. He was the 15th out of 120 prosecution witnesses.

“He offered himself from the beginning, because he refused to be associated with the controversial case.”

The source said the last time he met Ewe was last month in Penang, to complete a witness statement.

“He looked happy at the time and expressed his eagerness to testify in court. I was a little upset when I heard the news of his death this morning.”

Ewe had also been remanded by MACC to facilitate investigations related to the Penang undersea tunnel project in January 2018.

Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong said the force received an emergency call from the public at 5am on the discovery of the body in the Palazzo Condominium building here.

Sources said the victim was Ewein Bhd president and group managing director Ewe.

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

He declined to confirm the victim’s identity.

Lim is accused of abusing his position as then Penang chief minister to obtain gratification totalling RM3.3 million as an inducement for helping a company belonging to one Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli secure the undersea tunnel project, valued at RM6.3 million.

The offence was allegedly committed between January 2011 and August 2017 at the chief minister’s office at Komtar in George Town. 

On the second amended charge, he is accused of soliciting bribes amounting to 10% of the profits from Zarul. The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in March 2011.

Lim also faces two charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million and belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two firms linked to the undersea tunnel project. – The Vibes, October 5, 2021