GEORGE TOWN: Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng told the High Court yesterday that the Peel Avenue land was sold to Island Hospital in December 2016 upon approval from the state executive council (exco).
Lim said this during the hearing of his defamation suits against former Gerakan Youth acting chief Jason Loo Jieh Sheng over the latter’s remarks on the sale of Peel Avenue land.
He said the Peel Avenue land was alienated in December 2016 to CMI (Chief Minister Incorporated) and the agreement to sell the land to Island Hospital was signed in the same month that year.
“The Medical City project especially the Peel Avenue land transaction was collectively approved by the state exco and subsequently the said decision was implemented by CMI when the agreement was signed in December 2016,” he said when questioned by Loo’s lawyer, Kek Boon Wei.
Lim, represented by lawyer Datuk N. Mureli, filed three suits against Loo in 2017.
In his witness statement, Lim also said that the gross development value of the Island Medical City was about RM2 billion and it was expected to provide 2,000 job opportunities, while its economic value was expected to exceed RM7 billion with benefit spilling over to other industries.
He said the selling price of Peel Avenue land, which is RM156 million, was higher than the market value of RM148 million.
“After taking into consideration of the above, the Penang Exco had decided and approved the sale of the Peel Avenue land without going through open tender,” he said.
In February 2018, Lim filed three separate defamation suits against Loo, The China Press Bhd and Guang Ming Ribao.
In his statement of claim, Lim accused Loo, who is the defendant in the first suit and first defendant in the second and third suits, of having held a press conference on May 29, 2017, and had intentionally, recklessly, falsely and in absolute bad faith made statements which were false and defamatory against him (Lim) in its natural and ordinary meaning and by innuendos understandable by any ordinary reasonable person.
While for The China Press Bhd, being the second defendant in the second suit, Lim claimed that the newspaper had intentionally, recklessly, falsely and in absolute bad faith caused the defamatory statements to be published or cause to be published by way of an article in Mandarin language dated May 29, 2017, titled and translated in English as Jason Loo: One Man Decide, Pakatan Harapan DAP-led State Government Run By Rule Of Man in the newspaper.
As for Guang Ming Ribao, being the second defendant in the third suit, Lim claimed that the newspaper had published an article in Mandarin dated May 29, 2017, titled and translated in English as Jason Loo urges Lim Guan Eng to Explain Why Sell Lebuhraya Peel Land Prior to Gazette.
The hearing before judge Datuk Rosilah Yop will resume today. — Bernama
