Witness says project will be awarded if MoU with Chinese company is arranged

Witness says project will be awarded if MoU with Chinese company is arranged

Bernama

02/10/2024



Former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex today for the trial proceedings regarding the corruption case involving the undersea tunnel in Penang that he is facing. - BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR: A witness told the Sessions Court here today that Lim Guan Eng would award him a project for constructing main roads and an undersea tunnel in Penang through direct negotiations, provided he could arrange a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state government and a company from China.

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Zarul Ahmad claimed Lim Guan Eng helped him secure the undersea tunnel project in 2011.

Zarul was questioned about conflicting statements on a RM19 million fraud case.

Lim faces bribery and land sale-related charges tied to the project.

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 65, said that the former Penang chief minister told him that he would be awarded the project if the signing ceremony was witnessed by China's Premier.

"Lim informed me about the matter while I was driving him home in early March 2011. Additionally, in my statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the investigation into the G. Gnanaraja case, I mentioned the roles of YB Lim Guan Eng and his officials in helping me secure the project," he said.

He said this during cross-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin during the proceedings to challenge his credibility over his contradictory statements in court regarding Gnanaraja's fraud case involving RM19 million related to the undersea tunnel project.

On March 24, 2022, Zarul Ahmad told the court that Lim was pleased when the MOU signing ceremony between the state government and Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) on the mega project relating to the roads and undersea tunnel worth RM6.34 billion was witnessed by the prime ministers of Malaysia and China.

Zarul Ahmad stated that he received a phone call from Lim in 2011, informing him that Wen Jiabao, then Prime Minister of China, and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, would attend the MoU signing ceremony in Putrajaya on April 28, 2011, which Lim also attended.

When asked by Wan Shaharuddin whether he mentioned the 10 per cent issue while testifying before the MACC, Zarul Ahmad replied, "No, I was instructed to keep the information regarding the payment for the Gnanaraja case separate from that of the YB Lim Guan Eng case".

He also agreed with the DPP's question that a MACC investigating officer had informed him about a special investigation into a corruption case involving Lim, and that he had provided detailed information to the commission regarding the case.

Wan Shaharuddin: In your statement in the investigation into the Gnanaraja case, did you ever mention that the money was never given directly to Lim Guan Eng? Zarul Ahmad replied "No".

Earlier, Wan Shaharuddin told the court that the prosecution requested to summon MACC investigating officer Ng Weng Jun, who conducted the investigation into the Gnanaraja case, to support Zarul Ahmad's testimony in the proceedings.

"The witness is relevant to be called because Zarul Ahmad mentioned Ng's name during the proceedings challenging his credibility. If the investigating officer is summoned, he can clarify whether he instructed Zarul Ahmad to provide separate statements for the Gnanaraja and Lim Guan Eng cases," he said.

However, Lim's lawyer, RSN Rayer, objected to the application, stating that Ng was not the investigating officer who took Zarul Ahmad's statement in the investigation into the Gnanaraja case.

Judge Azura Alwi fixed Oct 9 to decide on the application and to resume the proceedings challenging the credibility of the witness.

According to the first amended charge, Lim, 63, is alleged of using his position as chief minister of Penang at the time to receive bribes amounting to RM3.3 million, by helping a company owned by Zarul Ahmad to be appointed to implement a highway and undersea tunnel project in Penang worth RM6,341,383,702.

Lim is alleged to have committed the act between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister's Office.

For the second amended charge, Lim is alleged to have sought a bribe of 10 per cent of the profits from Zarul Ahmad as an inducement to help the businessman's company be appointed for the same project.

Lim allegedly committed the act near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City between 12.30am and 2am, in March 2011.

He is also facing two charges of causing two lots of land owned by the Penang government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to companies allegedly linked to the undersea tunnel project in the state.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar on February 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.

-- BERNAMA