Tuesday June 24, 2008 MYT 5:12:35 PM

Perwaja's Eric Chia dies

PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Eric Chia Eng Hock died at about 9am Tuesday at a hospital in Sungai Petani after having developed breathing difficulties.

In June last year, the 74-year-old tycoon was acquitted in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court of committing criminal breach of trust 13 years ago.

Judge Akhtar Tahir acquitted him of misappropriating RM76.4mil from Perwaja Rolling Mill and Development Sdn Bhd in his capacity as its managing director on Feb 19, 1994.

The judge also acquitted Chia of an alternative charge of dishonestly disposing of Perwaja’s funds by entering into an agreement with NKK Corporation, Japan, and authorising the RM76.4mil to be paid into the account of Frilsham Enterprise Inc with the American Express Bank Ltd, Hong Kong.

He had been accused of doing so without the approval of the board of directors of Perwaja Rolling Mill and Development Sdn Bhd.

The judge ruled the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Chia. The prosecution has filed an appeal against the decision.

The wheelchair-bound Chia, upon his acquittal, told the press then that vindication had come too late. He said he had lost his family and was estranged from his son and daughter because of the shame.

He said that at the height of his career, he had many friends but because of the case he had lost many of them as well.

“Once when I put my hands on the table, there were 200 other hands of my friends on that same table. But now there are not enough hands,” he said in June last year. “They have run away. Some of them think I am a crook.”

Earlier this year, Chia filed a defamation suit against DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is now also the Penang Chief Minister, over a police report that Lim had lodged in 2002.

Chia alleged that the report was calculated to disparage him, implied that he was dishonest and that had acted in a manner detrimental to the interest of Perwaja, while portraying him as corrupt.

The High Court had set Aug 28 for case management of the defamation suit.