MACC did order preliminary inquiry, court told

GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) told the Penang High Court today it had ordered their state office to conduct a preliminary inquiry on claims that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and business tycoon Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping may be involved in corrupt practices.
Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali testified today as a defence witness in Lim and Tan's libel suit against a news portal, telling the court that the order came after claims of such nature surfaced online.
Mustafar, who is now the Immigration Department director-general, said that he however could not recall the exact date the order was issued, but remembered it was decided in a high level meeting and believed it was given priority because the claims involved a chief minister.
He also said there was a difference between the word and definition of "probe" and "investigation" in MACC terminology.
"Probe in MACC means a preliminary inquiry, and not an investigation."
He said MACC had not specified it was investigating the purchase of a Mercedes Benz vehicle by Lim.
Lim and Tan are suing the now defunct online news portal owner FZ Sdn Bhd and its managing editor Terence Fernandez over a piece entitled "MACC begins probe on Merc purchase", uploaded on Jan 3, 2014.
Tan, a former president of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce filed a similar suit against both respondents.
Both suits are now being jointly heard.
Earlier, Mustafar was asked whether he agreed that Lim and Tan did not have a privileged relationship during a cross examination by Tan's counsel Christine Siew, to which Mustafar answered: "Yes I agreed."
In a previous testimony, Lim told the court in May that his relationship with Tan was normal; it was merely that of a state government with the adviser of the chamber, which is a position Tan holds now.
Lim claimed that the article had portrayed him to be corrupt, dishonest and of no caliber as well as untrustworthy and not fit to be a leader of Penang.
He was represented by counsel Datuk N. Mureli while Raja Eileen Soraya Rajan Aman and Amanda Loh acted on behalf of FZ and Fernandez.
The trial continues on Nov 1.