Businessperson denies motive to implicate Guan Eng in RM6.3b tunnel project

 

A businessperson told the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today that he had no motive to implicate former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng in a corruption case involving a RM6.3 billion road and undersea tunnel project.

G Gnanaraja, 44, said it would be unreasonable for him to do so, as Lim was not his enemy and had never wronged him.

“If I tended to cheat as alleged, I could have simply claimed that all four bags were handed over to Lim. But I have no intention of implicating him for such a motive,” he said.

The 37th prosecution witness said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin at Lim’s trial.

Gnanaraja (above, left) said he had consistently admitted to receiving RM19 million from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd’s former director, Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli and maintained that he was also truthful about handing over part of the money to Lim.

“I state what I took, and I also confess what I gave to Lim. I have no motive to implicate him in this case,” he said.

‘Visit at 3am’

Gnanaraja previously testified that he personally handed over two black bags containing RM1 million each to Lim after receiving them from Zarul at the Eastin Hotel on Aug 18, 2017.

He also stood by his claim that Lim had visited his house at 3am, although he acknowledged under questioning that such a visit was “unreasonable” for someone of Lim’s stature.

“No one has ever come to my house at 3am, even though I have friends who are ministers, only Lim,” he said.

He further denied any agreement with the prosecution to secure a lighter charge in a separate Shah Alam case in exchange for testifying.

“I did not deny receiving money from Zarul in the Shah Alam case. I only wanted to explain where the rest of the money went. That is how my involvement in this case began,” he added.

Following the testimony, proceedings continued with the prosecution’s application to amend the first charge against Lim by removing the word “receive”.

Judge Azura Alwi fixed May 6 to continue the trial and to deliver a decision on the application.

Lim, 65, faces multiple charges, including allegedly using his position to receive RM3.3 million in connection with the Penang roads and undersea tunnel project, soliciting a 10 percent cut of profits from Zarul, and facilitating the disposal of two state-owned land parcels worth RM208.8 million linked to the project.

- Bernama