Court orders documents in Guan Eng trial to be standardised

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang High Court today ordered documents to be used in the trial of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who faces charges of graft and abuse of power, to be standardised.
High Court Judge Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail said the documents needed to be in order as she wanted trial to proceed smoothly.
She ordered the documents to be properly indexed and numbered and that each side, the prosecution, defence and court, were to be given exact sets.
"I want every page paginated and can be read with no missing pages.
"I am willing to give two months," she said and fixed Dec 6 for second mention.
Hadhariah also allowed the request by the defence that Lim, and the other accused, businesswoman Phang Li Koon, to be excused from being present at court on that date.
In verbal submission earlier, defence lead Gobind Singh pointed out that the documents served to them were some 13,000 pages.
He said these were not indexed, not paginated and also claimed there were missing pages while some were illegible.
He then asked the Court for a later mention date so the documents could be formatted properly.
Prosecution lead Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Masri Mohd Daud did not object to the request.
Lim, dressed in a suit and red tie, appeared calm throughout the proceedings and was accompanied by his wife Betty Chew, and several Penang government Exco members.
He allegedly abused his position as chief minister to obtain benefits for himself and his wife.
He was accused of committing the offence on July 18, 2014 at Komtar when he chaired the State Planning Committee (SPC) meeting to rezone Lot 436 and Lot 437 in the southwest district from agriculture to residential housing for Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd.
The offence comes under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which carries a maximum 20-year jail term and not less than five times the amount of the benefit if it can be counted in cash or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
On the second charge, he is alleged to have obtained a plot of land and house, namely No. 25, Jalan Pinhorn, for the price of RM2.8 million when the valuation at that time was RM4.27 million, from Phang.
He was alleged to have committed the offence on July 28, 2015 at the Jalan Pinhorn property. The offence, under the Penal Code, carries a maximum two-year prison sentence, or fine, or both.
Phang was charged with abetting Lim to obtain a benefit, which is the land and house on No. 25, Jalan Pinhorn, knowing that they have official business together. She was accused of committing the act on July 28, 2015.
The charge, under the Penal Code, carries a maximum two-year prison sentence, or fine, or both upon conviction.
Before the proceedings, the scene outside the Penang Court Complex was a cacophony of noise as supporters and protestors gathered, to show their support and vent their frustrations, towards Lim.
Protestors wanted Lim to resign pending the trial but their shouts were drowned by the number of supporters who booed and jeered.
The situation got heated a few times but police made their presence felt and no untoward incidents were recorded.