SEBERANG PERAI, Aug 11 — Betty Chew Gek Cheng today claimed trial to three separate charges of money laundering at the Butterworth Sessions Court.

Chew, 56, was charged with receiving RM87,009 as proceeds from an unlawful activity from Excel Property Management and Consultancy Sdn Bhd.

The sum was allegedly banked into her Public Bank account in Melaka some time between October 7, 2013 and August 4, 2014.

She faces a second charge of receiving a further RM180,000 as proceeds from an unlawful activity from the same company and allegedly banked into the same account.

The second charge was allegedly committed some time between September 3, 2014 and August 11, 2015.

The third charge against her is for receiving RM105,000 as proceeds from an unlawful activity from the same company and allegedly banked into the same account.

She allegedly committed the offence between September 4, 2015 and March 3, 2016.

All three charges were under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA) for receiving proceeds from an unlawful activity.

The section carries a punishment of a jail term not more than 15 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount involved, or RM5 million, whichever is higher.

Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew leaving the Butterworth courthouse August 11, 2020. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew leaving the Butterworth courthouse August 11, 2020. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Chew is the former finance minister Lim Guan Eng’s wife.

Lim has been charged with three separate counts of graft at both the Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth Sessions Courts.

He faced a charge of soliciting a bribe related to the Penang undersea tunnel project under Section 16 (a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court last Friday.

He was then charged with abuse of power to obtain gratification under Section 23(1) of the same act at the Butterworth Sessions Court here yesterday.

Earlier today, Lim was charged with using his position as the Penang chief minister to obtain gratification for Chew while businesswoman Phang Li Koon was charged with abetting him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib then applied for a RM100,000 bail sum for Chew.

He also asked that all three cases against Chew be heard at the same time.

Sessions Court judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid allowed bail at RM50,000.

He set the mention date for all three cases on October 16.