Bid to review acquittal to be heard on Oct 12

GEORGE TOWN: A High Court here fixed Oct 12 to hear the application to review the acquittal of former chief minister Lim Guan Eng and businesswoman Phang Li Koon of corruption.

The application was made by Muhsin Abdul Latheef, 32, who was the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC’s) first prosecution witness in the trial.

Justice Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail fixed the date to hear the case after Muhsin applied for an adjournment.

“The application will be heard next Friday, so regardless of whether your lawyer is here or not, it will go on; I will not postpone this again,” she told Muhsin.

Justice Hadhariah also scolded Muhsin for submitting an application to postpone the case two days before the hearing yesterday because his lawyer Gunamalar Joorindanjn was unable to make it.

In his application, Muhsin requested for the hearing to be on Oct 9.

He also named the public prosecutor, Lim and Phang as respondents in the case.

He asked for the court to replace the acquittal with a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

His grounds for the application was that Lim allegedly had a close relationship with the Attorney General which is a conflict of interest.

The Penang High Court acquitted both Lim and Phang of graft charges on Sept 3.

Ramkarpal Singh, who is representing Lim, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Ghazali Muhamad Nadzri had already filed a notice for preliminary objections against the application.

“We have received the preliminary objections by the first respondent and we will support the preliminary objections submitted by the DPP,” he told the court.

Datuk V. Sithambaram, who represented Phang, said he was prepared to go on with the hearing of the application.

Later, outside the courtroom, Muhsin said he is running short of funds to cover the costs of the application.

“I have made an appeal in my social media for donations as I need at least RM20,000 to cover the costs of this case,” he said.

He stressed that he wanted his application to be heard in court as he wanted justice to be served.