GEORGE TOWN, July 30 — The High Court today postponed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption case to September 3.

Defence lawyer Ramkarpal Singh said his team has submitted a request to Attorney General Tommy Thomas for Lim’s case to be withdrawn.

"We submitted the representation early this month so the High Court judge today agreed for the case to be postponed pending a decision by the AG on the representation,” Ramkarpal who is also Bukit Gelugor MP said.

Lim’s corruption case came up for mention in chambers today before Justice Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail.

Ramkarpal said Hadhariah was firm in fixing September 3 as the final date for a decision by the AG on the representation.

"The prosecution confirmed receiving the representation on July 6 and that they will need about a month to make a decision on our representation,” he said.

Datuk V. Sithambaram, counsel for businesswoman, Phang Li Koon, has also submitted a similar representation to the AG for the charges against her to be withdrawn. 

When asked if there will be any bias by the AG on this case, both lawyers said they have submitted their representation based on documentations that they have.

"Based on our documentations and evaluations, there should not be a case at all,” Sithambaram said.

Both Lim and Phang are on trial for alleged graft over Lim’s house purchase in 2015.

The trial for the case started last month and was set to continue in April but it was postponed to May due to the general elections.

The case was postponed again in May and today was set for mention of the case.

Lim was charged with using his position as a public officer, when he was chief minister of Penang, to obtain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew, by approving an application by a company called Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd, to convert agricultural land to residential purpose during a state planning committee meeting on July 18, 2014.

He was alleged to have used his position to obtain gratification by buying his house from Phang at RM2.8 million, which was below the property’s market value of RM4.27 million on July 28, 2015.

Phang meanwhile was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting Lim on July 28 last year in regards to his purchase of the house on Pinhorn Road from her for RM2.8 million which was below the market value or RM4.27 million whereby Lim had allegedly committed an offense under Section 165 of the Penal Code.