Witness agrees he didn't tell MACC in 2018 that RM2m was for Guan Eng

A key prosecution witness conceded that he never told MACC in 2018 that an RM2 million bribe was meant for former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli testified this during today’s court impeachment proceedings against him over his credibility as a witness in the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel corruption trial against Lim.

Today’s impeachment trial within the trial before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court followed on the heels of Lim’s defence team being allowed to access 31 pages out of a total 108-page statement given by Zarul to MACC, from statements the agency recorded in January and September 2018.

The defence team, led by Haijan Omar, contended that Zarul has no credibility as a witness, due to the MACC statements not mentioning that the RM2 million was meant for Lim, among other contentions.

Haijan: Do you agree with me that in these two statements (to MACC in 2019), you did not mention that the RM2 million cheque and payment voucher were for Lim Guan Eng?

Zarul: At that time, yes.

During today’s cross-examination, which turned heated multiple times, Zarul also disagreed that a separate RM2 million payment - which was meant to allow the witness to get closer to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak - was the same one as an RM2 million that was given to Lim.

Last year, a prosecution witness in the present trial testified that RM2 million was paid to businessperson G Gnanaraja in 2017 to allow Zarul to get closer to Najib.

The impeachment proceedings before judge Azura Alwi resumes on Wednesday.

The main graft trial before Azura is on hold until the completion of the impeachment proceedings.

Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng

Lim is on trial over four corruption charges involving the planned construction of Penang’s undersea tunnel and paired roads project connecting the island to the mainland.

Lim is accused of abusing his power as then-Penang chief minister for the first charge to obtain RM3.3 million in monetary gratification as an inducement to appoint Zarul’s company to implement the project worth RM6,341,383,702.

He allegedly committed the offence between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office.

On the second charge, Lim allegedly asked Zarul for 10 percent of profits as a reward for helping his company secure the project.

Lim is purported to have committed the offence at The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, in Kuala Lumpur, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.

He also faces two counts of dishonest disposing of two plots of land belonging to the Penang government in Bandar Tanjong Pinang worth RM208 million to the developer of the tunnel project, which allegedly took place at the State Land and Mines Office in Komtar on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017. - Mkini