Penang undersea tunnel developer claims was conned into paying RM22mil to stop graft probe

GEORGE TOWN: The developer of the RM6.3bil Penang undersea tunnel project claims he was conned into paying two individuals RM22mil to stop investigations into alleged corruption in the mega project.

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli (pic) said they were told that action would be taken against them if they did not pay up as requested.

"They claimed to be the power-that-be. Eventually, we found out it was not true. We were conned.

"In fact, we have done everything according to (what we thought was) the rule of law, but at that particular moment of time, we didn't know what is the rule of law," he claimed.

"It's not a bribery, but the act is akin to putting a gun to my head.

"I can't tell you the details because the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is still conducting the investigation.

"I believe soon they will come out with something pertaining to those issues. As you know, anything could happen in the last 10 years.

"On the 10th of May, I opened my window and I took a nice breath," he said during an interview today.

Earlier, former Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government was shocked by news that CZC allegedly paid RM19mil to an unnamed businessman and RM3mil to an MP.

The RM6.3bil mega project comprises a 7.2km undersea tunnel connecting Gurney Drive on the island to Bagan Ajam in Seberang Prai, a 10.53km North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR) from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang, the 5.7km Air Itam–Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass and the 4.075km Gurney Drive–Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass.