KUALA LUMPUR: A key witness in the corruption trial involving Lim Guan Eng on the Penang undersea tunnel project told the Sessions Court that he would "do anything" in his power to protect the former Penang chief minister, including bribing the prime minister at that time.
During the cross-examination by Lim’s counsel Gobind Singh Deo on Friday (Aug 5), Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said that he was willing to bribe the prime minister to close the graft probe into the planned RM6.3bil project.
Following his Aug 4 testimony admitting he made up the story in a media interview in July 2018 that there was no element of corruption in the project, Zarul Ahmad testified on Friday that not all things revealed during the interview were a lie.
For example, he said incidents about being harassed by individuals linked to then Barisan Nasional former government to pay were real.
On July 2 that year, several news portals reported that Zarul Ahmad claimed that he was pressured to the point of as if "someone was putting a gun" to his head to pay RM22mil to stop the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from investigating the undersea tunnel project.
Gobind: There were threats from conmen demanding protection money?
Ahmad Zarul: Yes.
Gobind: At that time you paid them in order to bribe the MACC?
Ahmad Zarul: No. It was not a bribe.
Gobind: So you paid them to close a graft probe, correct?
Ahmad Zarul: Yes.
Gobind: So you're a person who is prepared to pay money to close probes of graft?
Ahmad Zarul: 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...
Gobind: Can you answer my question?
Ahmad Zarul: I’m giving the explanation, yes or no will not give any answer.
This prompted judge Azura Alwi to intervene and told Ahmad Zarul that he would be given a chance to explain.
When asked, Zarul Ahmad agreed that he was prepared to pay to close a graft probe by the MACC "on a particular issue."
He also agreed that the RM22mil was a huge amount that was paid to a businessman, MG Gnanaraja, who claimed to be close to then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He also clarified that from the RM22mil, RM19mil was meant for Najib and agreed that the remaining RM3mil was "purportedly" for Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
Agreeing that Gnanaraja was a "conman", Zarul Ahmad said he did not realise the truth then.
On April 3, 2019, Gnanaraja was charged in the Shah Alam Session Court with three counts of cheating Zarul Ahmad of RM19mil into believing that he was able to settle a MACC investigation into the undersea tunnel project.
Gobind: It was a lot of money... and you gave it to a conman.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes. I didn't know he was a conman at the time.
Gobind: Najib was the prime minister at that time.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: A PM who was the head of BN (Barisan Nasional).
Zarul Ahmad: Yes
Gobind: Which was the opposing party of the government at that time.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes
Gobind: Which was the party that would want evidence to fix up Lim Guan Eng, if possible, correct? They are opposed to each other, correct?
Zarul Ahmad: I don't know... whether they are...
Gobind: Come on, Datuk, you are saying Najib and Lim Guan Eng were good friends?
Zarul Ahmad: I don't know.
Gobind: But you said that in your evidence, that Barisan kept attacking you.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: You also said that they attacked you because of your position in Penang.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: That would mean that they would want information against Lim Guan Eng, correct?
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: And you then go and pay their boss to protect Lim Guan Eng.
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: That’s absolute rubbish, Datuk.
Zarul Ahmad: I don't know.
Gobind: It is impossible to believe that you would have paid Najib money to protect Lim Guan Eng.
Zarul Ahmad: I paid for him to...because I thought the money would go to Najib.
Gobind: You would pay Najib to protect Lim Guan Eng?
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind: You were prepared to even bribe the PM to protect Lim Guan Eng?
Zarul Ahmad: Yes.
Gobind then refuted that it made no sense for Zarul Ahmad to approach Lim's arch-rival, who was also attacking his project in Penang for help.
Gobind: 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 save Lim Guan Eng. That doesn't make sense.
Zarul Ahmad: It made sense to me. I was desperate to make sure they would not do anything to YB (Lim).