Lim Kit Siang to tour Malaysia to ask if his son should step down

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said he will tour Malaysia to ask if his son, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng should stay or step down following his corruption case.

"The DAP Central Executive Committee has endorsed the Penang DAP State Committee decision that Guan Eng continues as Penang Chief Minister and not to go on leave as the charges against Guan Eng are politically-motivated, unfounded, malicious and Guan Eng is the victim of another round of political persecution against him," he said in a press statement.

"The Party has rightly taken a decision on the matter, but I will tour the country to hear views whether Guan Eng should resign as Penang Chief Minister or take leave facing corruption charges by the Najib government or he should remain in his post and not bow down to high-handed forces and pressures in his latest battle against political persecution," he said.

On June 30, Guan Eng, 56, was charged with using his position as chief minister for himself and his wife Betty Chew Gek Cheng's interest to approve the conversion of a piece of land from its status as an agricultural land to residential land and transferring it to a company, Magnificient Emblem Sdn Bhd.

READ: Guan Eng's corruption case transferred to High Court

READ: Chronology of events leading to Lim Guan Eng's arrest

On the second charge, the DAP secretary-general is accused of corruptly obtaining for himself and his wife, a piece of land and bungalow at No 25, Jalan Pinhorn, George Town here from a businesswoman, Phang Li Koon for RM2.8 million.

He was charged under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 for 'Offence of using office or position for gratification'.

If convicted, he could be jailed a maximum 20 years and fined an amount of no less than five times the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

He pleaded not guilty and was allowed bail of RM1 million in one surety.

This is the first time in four decades that a serving minister is being charged in court with corruption, after the late Datuk Seri Harun Idris.

Harun, who was the eight Selangor Menteri Besar and the state's longest serving MB to date, had been found guilty of various corruption charges, including misuse of state funds, between 1975 and 1977 and sentenced to six years' jail.