Kuala lumpur: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer (IO) told the Sessions Court here today that he had informed his superiors about Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli’s statement over money paid to Lim Guan Eng in connection with the Penang undersea tunnel project case.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, MACC Senior Superintendent Ng Heng Jun said during a fraud investigation on Dec 9, 2019, Zarul Ahmad, who was then the Director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), revealed he had given money to both G. Gnanaraja and Lim. Ng stated that Zarul Ahmad only informed him in general terms about the money given to Lim and clarified that he was not involved in the investigation into the money given to Lim because the case was handled by another investigating officer.
Ng further mentioned that he reported the matter to his MACC superiors and was notified that a special investigation would be conducted into the case. He is currently the investigating officer in the RM19 million fraud case involving Gnanaraja. Ng made these revelations during a re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh at the trial concerning the construction of a major road and undersea tunnel project in Penang, which is valued at RM6.3 billion and involves the former Chief Minister of Penang.
Ng also noted that he did not impede Zarul Ahmad, the 23rd prosecution witness, from providing evidence to the MACC regarding the money given to Lim. He emphasized that he encouraged Zarul Ahmad to testify about the transfer of money to Lim to ensure that Zarul’s evidence would not be conflated with the separate case he was investigating.
According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, is charged in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang with abusing his position to receive a bribe of RM3.3 million to assist a company owned by Zarul Ahmad in securing the Major Roads and Undersea Tunnel Construction Project in Penang, valued at RM6,341,383,702. The alleged offence occurred between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Chief Minister’s Office in Penang.
The amended second charge accuses Lim of soliciting a 10 per cent bribe from the project’s future profits from Zarul Ahmad in exchange for helping his company secure the same project. This offence allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 am and 2.00 am in March 2011.
In addition, Lim faces two charges of disposing of a couple of state-owned lots of land in Penang, valued at RM208.8 million, to a developer associated with the undersea tunnel project. These offences were purportedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.
The hearing before Judge Azura Alwi continues on July 22.