The Malaysian Insight

NAJIB Razak today referenced Lim Guan Eng’s bungalow scandal, after the DAP leader reportedly said the ex-prime minister’s planned Sandakan visit is to “teach locals how to commit graft”.

“I’m going there (Sandakan) to discuss how to buy a bungalow way below market price from a seller who has business interests with the state government.

“After that, I need to discuss how a corruption case that went on trial for three weeks, with 20 witnesses giving their statements, could be abruptly dropped.

“Even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was surprised,” he said in a Facebook post.

Last year, Lim was acquitted of two charges: using his position as then Penang chief minister to gain gratification for himself and his wife by approving an application for the conversion of agricultural land to a public housing zone in Balik Pulau, and using his position to obtain land and a bungalow in Jalan Pinhorn at below market price.

It was reported that the finance minister made the comments on Najib to reporters in Sandakan, which will see a by-election tomorrow.

Najib is scheduled to be in the parliamentary constituency later today in support of Parti Bersatu Sabah candidate Linda Tsen Thau Lin, who is up against Pakatan Harapan’s Vivian Wong, of DAP, and three independents.

In his Facebook post, the former Umno and Barisan Nasional chief said the Penang undersea tunnel project was awarded to a company in 2013, but construction is set to begin only in 2030 – or 17 years later.

“I also want to talk about a certain party that had been guaranteed to win a request for proposal, which we thought was transparent, and how 10% interest in the project, as well as thousands of ringgit, have been given to several senior DAP leaders.”

He said Sandakan folk may be interested to know the identities of quarters willing to pay RM22 million to close a graft probe into the tunnel project.

“Maybe I am already too late, and Lim has told Sandakan residents about these?” – May 10, 2019.