BUTTERWORTH: Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng today said the three Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLA) charges against his wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, were an act of political vengeance against him.
A visibly upset Lim said Chew, 56, and businesswoman Phang Li Koon, 48, charged under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, were just caught in a crossfire.
Again describing today's MACC charge against him as baseless and politically motivated, he said they could not show that he had in his possession any corruption money.
"Yesterday, I was charged with RM3.3 million corruption, but where is the corruption money? They couldn't show. They didn't ask me.
"So, where is the corruption when no corruption money was found in my possession, in my bank account?
"Today, there is another charge. This is not on me, but involving legal fees my wife obtained as a lawyer. So, if legal fees obtained as a lawyer is now subjected to corruption charge, and dragging my wife, I think this is an act of political vengeance against me.
"All I want to say is that I am very upset. If you want to go, go for me. Why you want to involve my wife?" he asked during an emotionally-charged and teary press conference with Chew at his service centre in Bagan here after the court proceeding.
Lim also said what was important was that the company mentioned during the charge did not obtain any project.
He explained that there was a re-tender exercise where another company was awarded the project.
"So, I think this is baseless and politically motivated. We are going to fight this charge. We are going to fight this baseless allegation.
"And it is not going to break our spirit to continue to fight against corruption. We believe that as long as we stick together with faith and truth, justice will prevail. We will overcome.
"I am just a bit upset because seeing the three charges against my wife and also (Miss) Phang. I think they are just, as the counsel mentioned in court, caught in a crossfire.
"I think this is completely excessive...too much As I said, go for me but just leave my family alone," he said.
Meanwhile, Chew said she was shocked that there were three charges against her, leading her to wonder where she went wrong.
She said as a lawyer of 26 years, and like all other lawyers here, she was trained to be very careful, to become a law-abiding citizen, trained to ensure their words and actions were lawful and not make unnecessary mistakes.
"So, I was thinking, why the three charges of AMLA? It is a big case.
"I am not a 'tai kar cheh' you know? If in Malay, they call the 'Kak Long' of a certain community. I am just perplexed.
"I am beginning to think why. Is it because I am Lim Guan Eng's wife. Is it because I am Lim's wife that i have to go through all this stress?
"Is it because you want to break my relationship with him then only you will let me go?
"This is very cruel. This is terrible. I am so sad that this is happening in our country. You know, you want to destroy a man, you want to destroy Lim Guan Eng… they create a frivolous and baseless accusation against him, against me.
"For what? Because the intention is to break him, to break me, to break our relationship, to break our family.
"And you know, the family is the strong pillar in my husband's life. We are his strongest supporters. That is why they are trying to break us to go to him.
"This is terrible and this is a sad day for Malaysia. If this can happen to me, my family, it can happen to anybody in Malaysia," she said, choked with emotions.
As family, Chew said, of course they stood by Lim and would go through this ordeal with him.
"We believe that he is innocent. He is an innocent man, he is a good man.
"And the support and encouragement I received last few days just tells me that I am right and makes me want to fight on.
"We will not abandon Lim Guan Eng. We will be with him all the while an
d we will go on," she added, hoping that the people out there would keep them in their prayers because they are innocent and had not done anything wrong.
Adversity, Chew notes, would make them stronger, united and make their love grow stronger too.
"I hope that all these people that are doing this to us... today, God is watching you. I hope that one day you will get what you have done to us, to my family," she said.