On Sept. 3, Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng received the good news that the Penang High Court had acquitted him of corruption charges.

Lim, who previously served as the Chief Minister of Penang, had been charged two years ago for allegedly making use of his position to purchase a bungalow below market rates.

Prosecution withdrew charges

Lim had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which his supporters viewed as politically motivated.

According to state news agency Bernama, High Court Judge Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail discharged and acquitted Lim after the prosecution withdrew the charges.

Businesswoman Phang Li Koon, the former owner of the bungalow, was also acquitted.

However, the judge made her decision to acquit them both despite the prosecution applying for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Said Lim to local reporters following the court proceedings:

"This victory is very unexpected. Indeed I am grateful that this has come to an end and I get to clear my name. Justice has finally been served."

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MACC, Mahathir "shocked" by court's decision

However, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) stated on the same day that they were "shocked" by the decision. They said:

"The MACC is shocked by the decision by the Penang High Court in acquitting the former chief minister of the charges of corruption in relation to the sale of a bungalow lot and the charge of conspiring with businesswoman Phang, after the prosecution retracted the case.

The MACC would like to stress that the decision was made by the Attorney General's office and not the MACC."

And none other than Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad himself agrees with them.

During a news conference on his trip to Brunei, Mahathir said:

"They (MACC) have a right to be shocked. If they want to be shocked, they can be shocked. I'm shocked, too.

It is the court's decision. I have never questioned the decision of the courts. Even if they made a decision that I thought was wrong, I never commented on it. We just have to accept it. If you don't want to accept it, you can appeal."

Najib's jibe

But another former Prime Minister also had his say.

Also on Sept. 3, Najib Razak tweeted:

Hari ini hari apa? Hari Terkejut?

— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) September 3, 2018

Which translates to:

"What kind of a day is this? A Shocking Day?"

It may seem a little confusing that Mahathir would express shock over Lim's acquittal.

Considering that he appointed Lim to the position of Finance Minister in his government, his statement does not express joy, but instead an acceptance of the court's decision.

Former Singaporean Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan weighed in on the matter with a Facebook post on Sept. 3, which you can see below:

"You see, he needs a hold. The court did not get a memo. (Smiley face)."

Perhaps another clue could be found in the judge's comments following the acquittal. Said Judge Hadhariah:

"The charges cannot be hanging over the head of the accused indefinitely. There must be a finality in this case. I cannot agree with the prosecution.

We do not conduct cases on an instalment basis. There must be a stop, no (comma), especially in criminal cases."

Whatever the case, Lim is now a free man, unburdened by the spectre of a looming corruption charge over his head.

Top image adapted from Mahathir Mohamad and Lim Guan Eng's Facebook pages.