Bungalow was bought on willing buyer-willing seller basis - Guan Eng

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today claimed that he had bought his bungalow in Jalan Pinhorn here for RM2.8 million on a willing buyer-willing seller basis.

The 30-year-old double-storey bungalow was bought from a private owner, he said.

"I took a bank loan of RM2.1 million and paid the remaining RM700,000 in cash based on my income as the chief minister and an elected representative," he told a news conference at Komplek Tun Abdul Razak (Komtar) here.

Lim had read out a statement at the press conference and declined to take questions.

He likened the contract of sale of the house to a marriage, saying it was left to the two sides to determine the (house) price or (marriage) partner.

Lim was responding to Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Shabudin Yahaya's request yesterday to the Department of Valuation and Property Services to undertake a valuation on the bungalow which he claimed was worth more than RM3 million.

Shabudin also asked the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate an allegation of the sale of several lots of land in Penang originally reserved for the construction of houses for the hardcore poor.

At the press conference today, Lim challenged Shabudin to discuss the issue of the purchase of his bungalow with him face-to-face before the media at his office.

"I will wait for Shabudin at my office on Sunday March 20 at 11am to discuss the matter and determine the truth from facts, in front of the media," he said.

Lim said it was not right to associate the purchase of his house in 2015 with the sale of state government land in Taman Manggis in 2012 when the sale of the land was executed via open competitive tender.