KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer informed his superiors about money paid to Lim Guan Eng in connection with the Penang undersea tunnel project case, the Sessions Court heard.
Senior Supt Ng Heng Jun testified that during a fraud investigation on Dec 9, 2019, Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, then Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director, revealed he had given money to Lim and G. Gnanaraja.
“Zarul only told me in general terms about the money given to Lim. I was not involved in the investigation on the money given to Lim because the case was handled by another investigating officer.
“I then reported the matter to MACC superiors, and was informed that a special investigation would be conducted on the case,” said Ng, who is the investigating officer in the RM19mil fraud case involving Gnanaraja, Bernama reported.
The 36th prosecution witness said this during re-examination by DPP Farah Yasmin Salleh in the corruption case involving the construction of a major road and undersea tunnel project in Penang worth RM6.3bil involving Lim, the former Penang chief minister.
Ng said he never stopped Zarul Ahmad, the 23rd prosecution witness, from giving evidence to MACC regarding the money given to Lim.
“I asked him (Zarul Ahmad) to give evidence on the handing over of money to Lim for the case against Lim because I don’t want his evidence to be mixed up with the case I am investigating as the two cases are different,” he said.
According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, is charged in his capacity as the then chief minister of abusing his position to receive a RM3.3mil bribe to assist a company owned by Zarul Ahmad in securing the Major Roads and Undersea Tunnel Construction Project in Penang valued at RM6,341,383,702.
The offence allegedly took place between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Chief Minister’s Office in Penang.
Under the amended second charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a 10% bribe out of the project’s future profits from Zarul Ahmad for assisting his company in securing the same project.
The offence allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.
Additionally, Lim faces two charges of disposing of a couple of state-owned lots of land in Penang, valued at RM208.8mil to a developer linked with the undersea tunnel project.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Penang Lands and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017. The hearing before Judge Azura Alwi continues on July 22.
