A WATCH broker told the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today that Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, a key prosecution witness in Lim Guan Eng’s corruption trial, had purchased a luxury watch costing RM40,000 from him.

G. Rajan, 66, said he managed to buy the Maurice Lacroix watch from a dealer as requested by Zarul.

Zarul is a senior executive director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, the main contractor for the undersea tunnel project in Penang.

The fifth prosecution witness, however, said he couldn’t remember the exact date the purchase was made but believed it was between 2013 and 2015. 

Rajan said this during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin on the former Penang chief minister’s corruption trial involving the construction of an undersea tunnel and paired roads project in Penang.

When explaining in detail his job as a watch broker, Rajan said he usually will meet with watch suppliers to buy the watches which he would show to his customers later.

“I bought the Maurice Lacroix watch at RM20,000 and I sold it to Zarul for RM40,000,” he said.

When asked why there was such a vast difference in price, Rajan said RM20,000 was the dealer price and RM40,000 was the retail price of the luxury watch.

When cross-examined by Lim’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, the witness said he had brought three to 10 pieces of watches to show to Zarul.

Gobind: What did he (Zarul) do with the watches? 

Rajan: Sometimes he buys for his staff and sometimes for himself.

Rajan also agreed with Gobind’s suggestion that Zarul is a watch collector.

When asked whether he had ever met with Lim in person, Rajan said “never”.

Gobind: I put it to you that my client (Lim) has nothing to do with this watch?

Rajan: I don’t know anything. I never dealt with him.

Today’s proceedings were cut short as both Gobind and Lim, who are Puchong and Bagan MPs respectively, needed to attend the Parliament sitting.

According to the first amended charge, Lim, 60, is accused of using his position as then Penang chief minister to obtain a bribe of RM3.3 million for helping a company owned by Zarul to secure the construction project worth RM6,341,383,702 between January 2011 and August 2017.

On the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting bribes amounting to 10% of the profits from Zarul to be earned by the company as gratification for helping the latter’s company secure the project.

Lim also faces two charges of causing two plots of land, worth RM208.8 million, belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies, which are linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project, between February 2015 and March 2017.

The trial before judge Azura Alwi continues tomorrow. – Bernama, September 22, 2021.