I was at home due to COVID-19, nowhere near Changi Airport - Lim Guan Eng’s son

KUALA LUMPUR: Clint Lim Way Chau, the second son of former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, testified in the High Court today, firmly denying allegations that he was at Singapore’s Changi Airport on February 29, 2020. The 31-year-old clarified that while he was indeed in Singapore on that date, he was nowhere near the airport.

At the time, Clint was employed as a property analyst with a Singapore-based company. He recounted that on the specific day in question, he was at home with friends, emphasizing that it was a Saturday during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Although I was in Singapore on February 29, 2020, I was nowhere near Changi Airport. At that time, I was working as a property analyst and spent the day at home with friends," Clint said, reflecting on his employment in Singapore, which lasted from 2019 to 2021.

Currently serving as a general manager for a private company in Penang, Clint also revealed that he had flown to Singapore nine days before the false claims about him were spread online. These claims were made by blogger Papagomo, whose real name is Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, on February 29, 2020. The accusations suggested that Clint had brought RM2 million into Singapore without proper declaration.

Clint's statements were made during cross-examination by lawyer Logen Eskandar Abdullah, representing Wan Muhammad Azri in the RM3 million defamation suit brought by Clint and his father, Lim Guan Eng. The suit stems from the blogger's allegations that Clint was detained at Changi Airport for carrying the undeclared cash.

Clint also admitted that he traveled frequently, almost three times a year, between Singapore and Malaysia. However, he chose not to file a report with the Malaysian police or the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) regarding the blogger's accusations, opting instead to leave the matter in his father's hands.

In 2021, both father and son filed a lawsuit against the blogger, claiming that he had posted defamatory statements on Facebook. The post, made under the name ‘Papa Azri’ on March 14, 2020, alleged that Lim Guan Eng had visited Singapore on February 29, 2020, after Clint was supposedly detained at Changi Airport.

The hearing, presided over by Judicial Commissioner Eddie Yeo Soon Chye, is set to continue tomorrow.