The Sessions Court today allowed part of the statement of the main witness in the Lim Guan Eng corruption trial involving the Penang undersea tunnel to be handed over to the defence for proceedings to challenge the credibility of the witness. 

The document is a copy of the witness statement of former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli. 

It will be used to determine whether there was a contradiction between Zarul’s statement recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in the case of businessman G. Gnanaraja in the Shah Alam Court and his statement in the Sessions Court. 

In today’s proceedings, Judge Azura Alwi said the court decided that 31 of the 108 pages of Zarul’s witness statement should be handed over to the defence to start proceedings challenging his credibility. 

“The relevant statements involve pages five to 14, 23 to 27, 52 to 53, 69 to 72 and 99 to 108,” said the judge during case mention.  

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin requested a two-week period to submit the relevant documents to the defence. 

The court then ordered the documents to be submitted before January 17, before the proceedings to challenge the credibility of the witness took place on February 26 and 27. 

Meanwhile, lawyer RSN Rayer informed the court of a new development: fellow counsel Gobind Singh Deo would no longer represent the accused following Gobind’s inclusion in the cabinet. 

“We need time to examine and prepare for the proceedings to challenge credibility,” he said. 

In previous proceedings, Azura directed that a copy of Zarul’s recorded conversation that was submitted to the court be examined and read before being presented to the defence.  

According to the first amended charge, Lim, 60, is alleged to have used his position as then-chief minister of Penang to receive bribes amounting to RM3.3 million by helping a company owned by Zarul to get appointed to implement a highway and undersea tunnel project in the state worth RM6,341,383,702. 

Lim is alleged to have committed the act between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office. 

For the second amended charge, Lim is alleged to have sought a bribe of 10% of the profits from Zarul as an inducement to help the businessman’s company get appointed for the same project. 

Lim allegedly committed the act near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011. 

He is also facing two charges of causing two lots of land owned by the Penang government worth RM208.8 million to be sold to companies allegedly linked to the undersea tunnel project in the state. The offence was allegedly committed at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar on February 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017. – Bernama, January 9, 2024.