THE Sessions Court in Kuala lumpur today heard that former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng allegedly gave assurances to the late businessman Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng that his company, Ewein Zenith Sdn Bhd (EZSB), would secure Lot 702 in Bandar Tanjung Pinang for development.
Senior Investigation Officer of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Zulhilmi Ramli, 33, told the court that following Lim’s assurance, Ewe began funding Consortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group Sdn Bhd (CZBUCG) from 2013, even though the land was only transferred to CZBUCG in 2015.
“Based on the initial agreement signed by the State Government and CZBUCG chairman Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli on 6 October 2013, CZBUCG entered a collaboration with EZSB to develop the land. Investigations show that Ewe had been financing CZBUCG since 2013 even though the land was only transferred in 2015,” Zulhilmi stated while reading the witness statement during the corruption trial involving Lim and the construction of major roads and an undersea tunnel in Penang.
Zulhilmi added that the transaction was clearly illogical but proceeded because Ewe had received assurances from Lim that he would obtain Lot 702.
“In a recorded statement on 14 August 2021, Ewe detailed his initial meetings with YB Lim and the agreement made to secure Lot 702. I find Ewe’s testimony supported by Zarul Ahmad’s evidence regarding the mutual agreement with YB Lim, which ultimately led to the transfer of Lot 702 to Ewe’s company,” he said.
According to Zulhilmi, under a supplementary agreement signed on 27 February 2014, Ewe’s company paid RM26.6 million to CZBUCG, while the remaining RM53.2 million was financed through a bank loan.
“This was a bold move by Ewe given that the land had not yet been transferred to CZBUCG. It clearly shows that he acted with confidence because of the assurance provided by YB Lim. This reinforces my belief that the amount involved was significant and would not have been given without such a guarantee,” he added.
Ewe was found dead in October 2021 at the base of a condominium in Penang.
Lim, 64, is facing multiple amended charges. The first alleges that as Penang Chief Minister, he used his position to receive RM3.3 million to help a company owned by Zarul Ahmad secure a RM6.34 billion road and undersea tunnel project between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Chief Minister’s Office in Penang.
The second charge accuses him of soliciting a 10 per cent commission from Zarul Ahmad as a reward for assisting his company to obtain the same project near Hotel The Gardens, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 am and 2 am in March 2011.
He also faces two charges of causing the disposal of two state-owned land lots worth RM208.8 million to a developer linked to the undersea tunnel project at the Penang Land and Mines Office in Komtar on 17 February 2015 and 22 March 2017. - October 29, 2025
