I would do anything to protect Guan Eng: witness

KUALA LUMPUR – A witness in Lim Guan Eng’s corruption trial said he would “do anything” to protect the former finance minister, including paying the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the prime minister to “close the probe”.

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said in his cross-examination today that he was willing to pay to “close” the graft investigation into the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.

He told Lim’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo that he received threats from those demanding money, reported The Star.

“The probe was against YB Lim Guan Eng. Therefore, I would do anything I can to stop all these. I will try anything in my power to try to stop this. In fact, I did. I even tried to approach people on your side also during…,” he said before Gobind cut him off. 

Later, sessions court judge Azura Alwi told Zarul he would have an opportunity to explain himself. 

Zarul was once reported as saying on July 2, 2018 that it felt like “someone was putting a gun” to his head so he would cough up RM22 million to stop the MACC investigation.

Today, Zarul said of the RM22 million given to M.G. Gnanaraja, RM19 million was for then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the rest was supposedly for Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

Meanwhile, Gobind said Zarul’s explanation of him wanting info on Lim while paying to protect the former Penang chief minister was “absolute rubbish”.

“It is impossible to believe that you would have paid Najib money to protect Lim Guan Eng,” Gobind was quoted as saying.

“Barisan and the opposition in Penang were attacking you and your project. They were saying all sorts of things. And by your evidence, they were attacking Lim Guan Eng too. 

“If that is the case, you wouldn’t have approached them, bribed them in order to save your project, or saved Lim Guan Eng. That doesn’t make sense.”

Zarul then responded: “It made sense to me. I was desperate to make sure they would not do anything to YB.”

In 2019, Gnanaraja was charged with three counts of cheating involving RM19 million related to the Penang undersea tunnel project.

He was also slapped with 68 money laundering charges involving RM11.4 million in the same year, and lost his Datuk Seri title.

Lim is facing an amended charge of using his position as Penang chief minister at that time to receive a bribe of RM3.3 million for helping the company owned by Zarul to obtain a construction project worth RM6,341,383,702. 

The offence was allegedly committed at the Penang chief minister’s office, 28th floor, Komtar, George Town between January 2011 and August 2017.

For the second amended charge, he is alleged to have solicited from Zarul 10% of the profit to be gained by the company in exchange for the firm obtaining the project. 

Lim is accused of committing this offence near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, here, in March 2011.

Lim is also facing two other charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies claimed to be linked to the undersea tunnel project.

He was charged with committing the offences at the Penang Land and Mines Department, 21st floor, Komtar on February 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017. – The Vibes, August 5, 2022