In a statement, Chow said Lee submitted his letter of resignation on Oct 2 and he had also resigned as a board member of Invest Penang.

The chief minister said Lee had voiced his intention to focus on his personal interests prior to the last general election.

He said Lee also expressed his willingness to relinquish all positions he held after Chow was reappointed chief minister for a second term.

Aside from Invest Penang, Lee was also a board member of Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Penang Hill Corporation.

“On Sept 26, I informed Lee that he had been replaced as a director of PDC following a new appointment to the board.

“On Sept 27, he replied that he understood the situation.

“On behalf of the Penang state government, I wish to record our greatest appreciation to Lee for his significant contribution to the development of the state of Penang,” Chow said.

Earlier today, Lee and former deputy chief minister P Ramasamy accused Chow of misleading the public over the sale of a parcel of state-owned land in Batu Kawan to a private company.

On Oct 3, Chow alleged that PDC’s decision to sell the land to UMECH Construction Sdn Bhd (Umech) had been made with “due diligence”. PDC is a statutory body set up by the Penang government and is chaired by Chow.

Chow had also claimed that a “small committee”, which comprised Ramasamy, Lee, former deputy chief minister Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman and former state executive council member Abdul Halim Hussain, met on Nov 28, 2022, to discuss Umech’s proposal.

In a joint statement, Lee and Ramasamy claimed that the meeting, which was chaired by Chow, was not intended to evaluate whether Umech was suitable to be awarded the contract but for the company to provide further details about their proposed development.

They added that it was decided at the meeting that Umech was to carry out a market survey, study the composition of land usage and provide proof of its financial sustainability.