SEVERAL Barisan Nasional leaders will be called to testify in Penang undersea tunnel developer Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd’s defamation suit against Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Huan Cheng Guan in October.

Zenith BUCG is suing Huan for tarnishing its reputation, which allegedly affected the confidence of its financiers.

Zenith BUCG is the company which won an open tender for the Penang undersea tunnel and three highways project. 

Defence counsel Baljit Singh said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai and Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow would be testifying as witnesses for the defence.

Rahman is also BN strategic communications director while Liow is MCA president.

“The defence will call 10 witnesses, while the plaintiff, three.

“Penang High Court judge Rosilah Yop fixed October 29 to November 2 to hear the case,” he said.

Huan has been one of the project and the consortium’s most vocal critics in the last few years.

Zenith BUCG filed the suit against him in 2016.

The consortium also applied for an injunction against Huan to prevent him from making further comments regarding the company. The injunction was granted last September.

Recently, the consortium also served Huan a notice, claiming that he had breached the injunction by making remarks on the project.

The tunnel and highways project mooted by the Pakatan Harapan-led Penang government is currently under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

A director of the consortium, now known as Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, was among several people remanded by MACC to assist investigation last month.

On another high-profile case – the defamation suit filed by Gerakan against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Baljit said case management has been fixed for March 5.

“It is for the plaintiff to file its reply to the statement of defence filed by Lim’s lawyer,” said Baljit, who is representing Gerakan.

The BN component party filed the defamation suit through its secretary-general, Liang Teck Meng, last July.

In the statement of claim, Liang said Lim had defamed the former Gerakan-led Penang government and then chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon, with accusations that 380.4ha of reclaimed land in Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong, was sold at RM1 per sq ft with 10% of the land to be given to the state government.

Liang said Lim’s remark was published in a March 17, 2013 article by an online portal. The former also named other articles and media statements which carried Lim’s comments on the matter. –  February 9, 2018.