Kuala lumpur: The Sessions Court today heard testimony indicating that four to five meetings were conducted between Beijing Urban Construction Group (CZBUCG) and the Penang government concerning the state's significant roads and undersea tunnel project before the open tender process commenced.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Senior Superintendent Zulhilmi Ramli, 34, revealed that these meetings included CZBUCG representative Datuk Lee Chee Hoe and a representative from the Penang State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN), known as Azlan. Zulhilmi, the 38th prosecution witness, provided this information while being cross-examined by defence counsel Mohd Haijan Omar during the corruption trial of former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over the RM6.3 billion infrastructure project.
Zulhilmi mentioned that he could not recall the precise dates of these meetings. Mohd Haijan challenged the witness's statement, suggesting that there was no foundation for the claims about meetings beyond the three already acknowledged, but Zulhilmi disagreed. His conclusion about additional meetings was based on the testimony of the 23rd prosecution witness, Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, who had mentioned the occurrence of preliminary meetings.
However, Zulhilmi conceded that he did not have knowledge of the discussions during these meetings, and there were no official records documenting the meetings between CZBUCG and the Penang government related to the project.
Earlier proceedings on June 5 saw Zulhilmi dismiss Mohd Haijan's suggestion that the three meetings on May 10, May 19, and July 11, 2011, had not been specifically organized by Lim. Zulhilmi also agreed that no documents were directly seized from Zarul Ahmad during the investigation. He clarified that documents were obtained from Zarul Ahmad's company through an individual identified as Mr Azli, mainly comprising payment vouchers, cheque books, and project-related files.
Lim, 65, is charged with using his position as Penang Chief Minister to secure a gratification of RM3.3 million by allegedly aiding a company owned by former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli in obtaining the RM6.341 billion Penang major roads and undersea tunnel project between January 2011 and August 2017.
Additionally, Lim faces charges of soliciting 10 percent of the profits expected to be earned by Zarul Ahmad as an inducement for assisting the company in securing the project. This offence reportedly occurred near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 a.m. and 2.00 a.m. in March 2011. Lim also faces charges of causing the disposal of two plots of Penang government land, valued at RM208.8 million, to developer companies linked to the undersea tunnel project. These alleged offences occurred at the Penang State Land and Mines Office in Komtar on February 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi is set to continue tomorrow.