‘Black hole’ case to see inaugural teamwork between DAP S’wak chief, father

Chieng Jen, flanked by (from left) Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii and Tanjong Batu assemblyman Chiew Chin Sing, speaking to the press outside the courthouse.

KUCHING (Jan 7): The “black hole” case involving the Sarawak government and Democratic Action Party Sarawak (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen, which commences trial today, will see the inaugural teamwork between Chieng Jen and his father Siew Chiang.

Speaking to the press outside the courthouse, Chieng Jen said he had applied to the court for him to act in person as well.

“This is the first case (that) I will be working with my father (his counsel). He will be on the legal aspects and I will be in charge of the facts.

“It’s the first father and son team on the case, which will see a seven-day trial, today, tomorrow and next week,” he said prior to the court proceedings.

Chieng Jen, who is Stampin MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman, said the “black hole” case was started by the state government seven years ago.

“The case was filed in 2013. It involves RM11 billion of funds allocated and approved by the state government for ‘Government Contribution Towards Approved Agencies Trust Fund’,” he said.

In 2013, Chieng Jen used the term ‘black hole’ to insinuate that the RM11 billion had gone missing from the state coffers.

His allegation was published in a Chinese national daily, a news portal, and in pamphlets distributed by Chieng Jen and DAP Sarawak, and also published in the Rocket, Malaysiakini and Sin Chew Daily on Jan 3, 2013.

Because of this, the state government and the State Financial Authority (SFA) filed a defamation suit against Chieng Jen at the Kuching Hight Court.

On Dec 18 last year, the High Court here rejected Chieng Jen’s application to get the state government to disclose documents in relation to projects funded by a certain RM11 billion budget.

In dismissing the application, Judicial Commissioner Alexander Siew said he agreed with the government’s arguments that the documents, even if they existed, were irrelevant to the defamation case against Chieng Jen and not to be produced at the trial.

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from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3nlp6bs
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