Latest news with #LimGuanEng
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Guan Eng graft case further delayed pending appeal
Lim Guan Eng, his wife Betty Chew (centre) and businesswoman Phang Li Koon are charged with offences allegedly committed in connection with the award of a RM11.6 million project to construct dormitories for foreign workers. GEORGE TOWN : The High Court here has fixed the corruption trial involving former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, his wife Betty Chew, and businesswoman Phang Li Koon for further case management on Sept 19 pending the disposal of their appeal. The new date was set this morning by deputy registrar Arif Shariff. Defence lawyers RSN Rayer and A Rueban Kumar said the new date was set to enable parties to advise the court of the status of the appeal. The three accused are appealing an earlier ruling by the High Court which dismissed their application to have the charges struck out. The Court of Appeal is expected to fix the appeal for hearing soon, having received the High Court's grounds of judgment on June 12. Lim, Chew and Phang applied to have the charges struck out on grounds that they were victims of 'double jeopardy'. They claimed that much of the documentary evidence involved in the present case overlaps with documents used in a previous case which Lim and Phang secured an acquittal from in 2016. On May 31, the High Court dismissed their application. Justice Rofiah Mohamad ruled that the claim of double jeopardy had no basis, as the 2016 acquittal did not involve the handing down of a judicial decision. 'There's a major difference in the alleged offence that took place, and it involved different persons. The case must go on,' she said then. The trio were charged on Aug 11, 2020 over the award of a RM11.6 million project to construct dormitories for foreign workers to a company linked to Phang. Lim was charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 with abuse of power as then chief minister and as the Penang Development Corporation's tender board chairman. He was alleged to have given gratification worth RM372,009 to Chew, through Excel Property Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd, by ensuring that Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd was offered the project to construct the dormitories in Juru and Batu Kawan. Phang was charged with abetting Lim under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act. The offences were alleged to have taken place between Aug 19, 2013 and March 3, 2016. Chew was charged with three counts of laundering RM372,009 through a Public Bank account registered at the Taman Melaka Raya branch between Oct 7, 2013 and March 3, 2016. They pleaded not guilty after the case was moved from the Butterworth sessions court. In the earlier case, Lim was charged under Section 23 of the MACC Act with using his public office or position as Penang chief minister to obtain gratification for himself and Chew, by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem to convert agricultural land for residential purposes during a state exco meeting on July 18, 2014. He was also charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code for allegedly using his position to obtain gratification by purchasing a bungalow from Phang at RM2.8 million, which was below the property's market value of RM4.7 million at that time. Phang was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting Lim on July 28, 2015 after the latter bought her bungalow at Pinhorn Road. Lim and Phang were both acquitted by the High Court on Sept 3, 2018 after the prosecution decided not to proceed with the case.
Free Malaysia Today
11-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Taxing beauty services risk angering women voters, says Guan Eng
Lim Guan Eng said the government 'cannot afford' to offend women as their votes are important. PETALING JAYA : Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng said he was puzzled as to why beauty services had been included in the expanded scope of the service tax, which would come into effect on July 1. Lim said that imposing such a tax risked angering women voters, Sin Chew Daily reported. 'The women's vote is very important, the government cannot afford to offend them,' he was quoted as saying. Lim, who had overseen the reintroduction of the sales and service tax in 2018, also called on the federal government to postpone the rollout of the revised SST. On Monday, the finance ministry said that a 5% to 10% rate will be imposed on non-essential goods from July 1. The service tax, on the other hand, will be expanded to include rent, lease, construction, financial services, private healthcare, and education. Lim also questioned the decision to impose a 5% tax on imported fruits, like apples and oranges. 'We understand that the government is doing this to encourage the consumption of local fruits, but certain imported fruits like apples and oranges should not be taxed,' he said. Since the announcement, several associations have raised concerns about the potential impact on service accessibility, pricing transparency, and operational preparedness, especially for sectors like healthcare and education which serve many non-Malaysians including foreign workers, expatriates, and international students.
Free Malaysia Today
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Scammers using AI to fake my voice and image, says Guan Eng
Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng (right) and Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng showing the fake video recording on their phones. GEORGE TOWN : Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng has warned the public about a fake video circulating online that uses artificial intelligence to mimic his voice and image in an apparent investment scam. Lim, who is also the Air Putih assemblyman, said the video falsely shows him endorsing an investment scheme. He said the video is fake and generated using AI. 'I want to be absolutely clear, I have never asked anyone to invest in anything. I'm not in business; I'm in politics,' he said at an event in Air Putih today. The manipulated video is believed to be based on an interview Lim gave over a decade ago. The original recording was in English, but the fake version is in Mandarin. 'That alone is a red flag,' Lim said, noting that the other speaker in the video, Penang Institute executive director Ooi Kee Beng, does not speak Mandarin. 'They took an old clip, altered it to look new, and changed the language.' Lim said the matter had been reported to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. He urged the public not to believe unsolicited investment messages or videos circulating on platforms like WhatsApp. Lim said this case highlights the urgent need for public education on AI-generated deepfakes and online scams. He said scammers are intentionally using trusted public figures to deceive victims as this is at least the fifth time digitally altered videos of him have been produced. 'The early attempts were clearly fake, but this one is more convincing. It's dangerous, especially for the elderly or those who trust me as a public figure,' he said. 'They (scammers) exploit public trust. That's why I need to speak up, to stop people from falling for these scams. 'Always verify with official sources. Refer to my verified statements. I will never ask anyone to invest in anything.'
Malay Mail
08-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
‘I'm not in business; I'm in politics': Lim Guan Eng says scammers fake voice, image in AI-generated deepfake investment video
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has alerted the public to a fake video circulating online that uses artificial intelligence to mimic his voice and image in what appears to be an investment scam. According to Free Malaysia Today, Lim said the manipulated video falsely shows him endorsing an investment scheme and appears to be based on an old interview recorded in English more than a decade ago. 'I want to be absolutely clear, I have never asked anyone to invest in anything. I'm not in business; I'm in politics,' he said during an event in Air Putih, Penang today. 'They took an old clip, altered it to look new, and changed the language.' Lim pointed out that the fake version is in Mandarin, while the original was in English, and highlighted that the other speaker, Penang Institute executive director Ooi Kee Beng, does not speak Mandarin. 'That alone is a red flag,' he said. He said the video was created using AI and reported the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. He urged the public to be cautious about unsolicited investment videos and messages circulating on platforms such as WhatsApp. 'The early attempts were clearly fake, but this one is more convincing. It's dangerous, especially for the elderly or those who trust me as a public figure,' he said. Lim added that scammers have used his likeness in at least five digitally altered videos so far. 'They exploit public trust. That's why I need to speak up, to stop people from falling for these scams,' he said. 'Always verify with official sources. Refer to my verified statements. I will never ask anyone to invest in anything.'
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Gerakan's No 2 granted ad-interim stay of execution in LGE defamation suit
Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong filed an appeal on May 21 to challenge the judgment delivered by the High Court in George Town, Penang, on May 7. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Gerakan's Oh Tong Keong has been granted an ad-interim stay of execution of a High Court decision ordering him to pay damages to Lim Guan Eng for falsely accusing the former finance minister of helping a concert organiser obtain tax exemptions. On Sunday, FMT reported that Oh, who is the party's deputy president, had filed an application for a stay of execution on May 22 pending the outcome of his appeal against the High Court's verdict which awarded Lim RM550,000 in damages. Penang Gerakan today said that it had successfully raised RM200,000 to help Oh pay the damages. 'In addition, several generous individuals have stepped forward to temporarily advance another RM300,000, allowing us to fully gather a total of RM500,000,' it said in a Facebook post. The party's state chapter said that it would continue to raise funds to repay the advanced funds. Oh's Lawyer, Chai Ko Thing, last week said the appeal was filed on May 21. On May 7, the High Court awarded Lim RM550,000 in damages after ruling that Oh had falsely accused him of helping a concert organiser obtain tax exemptions while the former was the finance minister. Justice Kenneth St James ruled that Oh had defamed Lim at a press conference on Sept 25, 2019, and through a press release sent out via Penang Gerakan's official email address. The remarks were later published by China Press, which was also found liable. Oh had questioned why Lim had granted tax exemptions to WGW Entertainment Sdn Bhd and its owner, Hendrik Huang, for a Mandopop concert at Spice Arena. The judge found that Oh had no basis for his claims and gave no evidence that Lim knew Huang or had granted any tax privileges. He said although Oh's statements were framed as questions, they were found to be defamatory in nature and did not qualify as fair comment. Oh was also ordered to publish an unconditional apology to Lim in China Press, online and in print. He was also barred from repeating the claims. China Press was ordered to pay RM150,000 in damages, RM80,000 in costs, and interest at 5% per annum.
