KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court allowed an application by former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for parts of sentences in several paragraphs of a witness statement by the investigating officer in his corruption case, involving an undersea tunnel project, to be deleted.
Judge Azura Alwi, on Wednesday (Nov 12), said the sentences were in eight out of the 23-paragraph witness statements by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Senior Superintendent (Investigation Division) Zulhilmi Ramli.
"The court has heard, examined and considered all the submissions and authorities submitted by both parties. Therefore, the court is satisfied and decides that only some sentences from the witness statement involved should be deleted," said the judge.
After the ruling, the proceedings resumed with the prosecution posing additional questions to witness SP38.
According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, was accused, in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang, of abusing his position to receive a bribe of RM3.3mil 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.
For the amended second charge, the Bagan Member of Parliament was accused of soliciting a 10% bribe out of the project's future profits from Zarul Ahmad for assisting his company in securing the project.
The offence allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30am and 2.00am in March 2011.
Additionally, Lim faces two charges of disposing of two lots of state-owned land in Penang, valued at RM208.8mil, to a developer linked to the undersea tunnel project.
These offences were allegedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017. – Bernama
