Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail approved the application made by Lim’s counsel, Gobind Singh Deo, at the end of the second day of proceedings today which saw a total of 14 witnesses taking the stand.
“So, we are vacating the remaining dates this week, from March 28 to 30, as counsel Gobind has Parliament affairs to attend to,” she said when adjourning the hearing.
The case will now be heard from April 9 to 12, April 23 to 27, May 7 to 10 and May 21 to 25.
On June 30, 2016, Lim, 58, was charged with using his public office to obtain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew, by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd (MESB) to convert agricultural land for residential purposes.
Lim was also alleged to have used his position to obtain gratification by purchasing a bungalow from Phang for RM2.8 million, which is below the property’s market value of RM4.27 million, on Oct 21, 2015.
Phang was charged with abetment.
Both Lim and Phang had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the two days of hearing, which started yesterday, a total of 25 witnesses had taken the stand for the prosecution.
The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Masri Mohd Daud, is expected to call 55 witnesses.
Lim is represented by Gobind, RSN Rayer and Hisyam Teh, while Phang is represented by V Sithambaram and Rueban Kumar.
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