KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 21): The trial of four corruption charges against former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng involving the Penang undersea tunnel project will commence on June 8, 2021. 

Sessions Court Judge Justice Azura Alwi today fixed a total of 31 days of trial to take place on several dates in June to December next year. They are June 8-11, July 12-16, July 28-29, Aug 16-20, Sept 6-10, Sept 20-24 and Dec 13-17. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who is leading the prosecution team, indicated to the judge that 80 to 90 witnesses will be called to testify against Guan Eng. 

During case management today, the prosecution applied to amend some details of two of the charges involving the addition of a specific time frame of the alleged offence being committed and removal of some words that are not elements of the charge. 

The defence team, led by lawyer and fellow DAP parliamentarian Gobind Singh Deo, had no objection to the amendments. 

The defence today also admitted to receiving 800 plus documents from the prosecution regarding the case in accordance with the Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Justice Azura also fixed March 29, 2021 for the next case mention to finalise all the documents before proceeding with the trial. 

All four corruption charges, two of which were first read in the Butterworth Sessions Court, will now be tried in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court. 

"We are ready to face this trial because as we have said repeatedly before, we believe there is no evidence that will prove that Guan Eng is guilty," Gobind told the media outside the court. 

On Aug 7, Guan Eng, 60, was charged in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang to have corruptly solicited gratification to help a company to secure the undersea tunnel project.

He is alleged to have sought 10% of the profit to be made by the company from Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, who is the company owner, nearby The Gardens hotel, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra here in March 2011.

On Aug 10, Guan Eng was charged in the Butterworth Sessions Court with using his position as the then chief minister of Penang to solicit RM3.3 million in gratification for himself as an inducement for helping the company to secure the project, valued at RM6.3 billion.

On Sept 11, the Bagan Member of Parliament (MP) was charged in the same court with two counts of causing two plots of land belonging to the Penang government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to two companies, which were linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project,

The offences were allegedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Level 21, KOMTAR, on Feb 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017 respectively.

Guan Eng previously pleaded not guilty to all four charges. 

Guan Eng is also facing a separate charge together with his wife Betty Chew Gek Cheng and businesswoman Phang Li Koon. 

For this case, Guan Eng was charged on Aug 11 in his capacity, as the then chief minister of Penang and chairman of Penang Development Corp's (PDC) procurement board then, with using his position for gratification involving RM372,009 for his wife through Excel Property Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd.