In a statement issued today, law firm Haijan Omar & Co, acting on behalf of the Bagan MP, condemned what they described as “premature and misleading” speculation surrounding the incident.
They also urged the media to refrain from reporting unverified claims about the assault, warning that such reports risk undermining the judicial process and Lim’s presumption of innocence.
“The insinuation of any connection between the incident and our client – echoed by remarks from the lead prosecutor – is baseless, unfair and prejudicial,” the statement read.
Yesterday, a prosecution witness in Lim’s trial was reportedly attacked by 10 unidentified individuals at his home near here.
According to Malaysiakini, lead prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said he was awaiting instructions from MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki on the next course of action, including whether to seek court protection for the witness.
While Lim’s legal team acknowledged the need for protective measures in cases where safety was a genuine concern, they emphasised that such action should not be based on “speculative and tendentious assumptions” that unfairly associate their client with the assault.
The lawyers also took issue with Wan Shaharuddin’s statement, suggesting it was made while a police investigation was ongoing and without full knowledge of the facts.
They said it was unclear whether Wan Shaharuddin had sought clarification from the police regarding the motive behind the incident prior to making his remarks.
The lawyers cited a clarification by Petaling Jaya police chief Shahrulnizam Ja’afar, who confirmed that the case was a “clear-cut robbery” with no element of witness tampering.
“We welcome the swift clarification by the police confirming that the incident was an armed robbery, wholly unrelated to the trial,” the statement added.
Lim’s legal team said they intend to raise the “prosecutorial impropriety” in court when the trial resumes at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court on Aug 19.
The lawyers said their client has confidence in the judicial process and is fully committed to defending himself through lawful means in order to prove his innocence against all “baseless charges”.
Lim is charged with using his position as then Penang chief minister to ask a businessman for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks.
He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land.