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The Sun
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Key witness in Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial says he only spoke the truth
KUALA LUMPUR: A key witness in former chief minister Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial testified at the Sessions Court today that he spoke only the truth regarding the alleged bribery in the major roads and undersea tunnel project in Penang. Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 66, former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), stated that the corruption did occur, supported by the substantial evidence and documents presented by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during investigations. 'I was compelled to tell the truth. If I were to follow my heart, I would wish for YB Lim Guan Eng to win in this case, as I owe him a debt of gratitude. 'However, upon reviewing the evidence and documents, I could not deny that the offence indeed took place,' said the 23rd prosecution witness. He made this statement during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin in the RM6.3 billion corruption case involving Lim Guan Eng. Wan Shaharuddin: You informed the court that you were instructed to issue a press statement regarding the project, and that the contents of that statement were untrue, yet you proceeded to issue it. Is that correct? Zarul Ahmad: I did so to protect my project, to avoid escalating tensions with the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, and to safeguard his interests. Zarul Ahmad acknowledged that in the statement, he claimed the project was obtained transparently and without any criminal wrongdoing, which he admitted was false. Wan Shaharuddin: So you deliberately misled the people of Penang to protect Lim Guan Eng's image despite knowing your statement was untruthful? Zarul Ahmad: I am indebted to him and followed his instructions, as he was serving as the Finance Minister at the time. According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, is accused, in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang, of abusing his position to receive a bribe of RM3.3 million 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 percent bribe out of the project's future profits from Zarul Ahmad for assisting his company in securing the same project. The solicitation allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 am and 2.00 am in March 2011. Additionally, Lim faces two charges of disposing of a couple of state-owned lots of land in Penang, valued at RM208.8 million, 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. The trial before Judge Azura Alwi is scheduled to resume on June 24.
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Key witness in Lim Guan Eng trial says he told the truth
KUALA LUMPUR: A key witness in former chief minister Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial testified at the Sessions Court today that he spoke only the truth regarding the alleged bribery in the major roads and undersea tunnel project in Penang. Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 66, former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), stated that the corruption did occur, supported by the substantial evidence and documents presented by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during investigations. 'I was compelled to tell the truth. If I were to follow my heart, I would wish for YB Lim Guan Eng to win in this case, as I owe him a debt of gratitude. 'However, upon reviewing the evidence and documents, I could not deny that the offence indeed took place,' said the 23rd prosecution witness. He made this statement during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin in the RM6.3 billion corruption case involving Lim Guan Eng. Wan Shaharuddin: You informed the court that you were instructed to issue a press statement regarding the project, and that the contents of that statement were untrue, yet you proceeded to issue it. Is that correct? Zarul Ahmad: I did so to protect my project, to avoid escalating tensions with the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, and to safeguard his interests. Zarul Ahmad acknowledged that in the statement, he claimed the project was obtained transparently and without any criminal wrongdoing, which he admitted was false. Wan Shaharuddin: So you deliberately misled the people of Penang to protect Lim Guan Eng's image despite knowing your statement was untruthful? Zarul Ahmad: I am indebted to him and followed his instructions, as he was serving as the Finance Minister at the time. According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, is accused, in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang, of abusing his position to receive a bribe of RM3.3 million 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 percent bribe out of the project's future profits from Zarul Ahmad for assisting his company in securing the same project. The solicitation allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 am and 2.00 am in March 2011. Additionally, Lim faces two charges of disposing of a couple of state-owned lots of land in Penang, valued at RM208.8 million, 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. The trial before Judge Azura Alwi is scheduled to resume on June 24.
Barnama
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Key Witness In Lim Guan Eng's Corruption Trial Says He Only Spoke The Truth
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- A key witness in former chief minister Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial testified at the Sessions Court today that he spoke only the truth regarding the alleged bribery in the major roads and undersea tunnel project in Penang. Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 66, former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), stated that the corruption did occur, supported by the substantial evidence and documents presented by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during investigations. 'I was compelled to tell the truth. If I were to follow my heart, I would wish for YB Lim Guan Eng to win in this case, as I owe him a debt of gratitude. 'However, upon reviewing the evidence and documents, I could not deny that the offence indeed took place,' said the 23rd prosecution witness. He made this statement during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin in the RM6.3 billion corruption case involving Lim Guan Eng. Wan Shaharuddin: You informed the court that you were instructed to issue a press statement regarding the project, and that the contents of that statement were untrue, yet you proceeded to issue it. Is that correct? Zarul Ahmad: I did so to protect my project, to avoid escalating tensions with the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, and to safeguard his interests. Zarul Ahmad acknowledged that in the statement, he claimed the project was obtained transparently and without any criminal wrongdoing, which he admitted was false. Wan Shaharuddin: So you deliberately misled the people of Penang to protect Lim Guan Eng's image despite knowing your statement was untruthful?
The Star
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Penang undersea tunnel graft trial witness ‘compelled' to tell truth due to evidence
KUALA LUMPUR: A key prosecution witness in the Penang undersea tunnel project trial said he was compelled to tell the truth after being presented with extensive evidence and new documents by graft investigators. The witness said this was despite initially intending to exonerate former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng. Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) former director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli admitted he could not deny the events, even though his testimony might damage Lim's reputation. "In this case, I didn't want to involve Lim Guan Eng in anything or any investigation," he told the Sessions Court on Tuesday (May 27). He said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) presented substantial evidence from previous witnesses and documents he had never seen before, compelling him to testify truthfully. Zarul Ahmad previously testified that he felt indebted to Lim for awarding his company the project and had tried to shield Lim from investigation by bribing a businessman to halt MACC investigations. He also admitted to forging payments through his staff to conceal bribes made to Lim. "It was a measure to protect Lim and ensure there's no financial trail leading to him," he said when re-examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin. Zarul Ahmad was questioned about discrepancies in his statements regarding payments made to influence investigations. Wan Shaharuddin asked about earlier cross-examination statements where Zarul said he paid money to protect Lim Guan Eng, while during impeachment proceedings, he said he paid RM19mil to close an investigation against him. This investigation was being conducted in connection to offences under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLA) Zarul Ahmad explained that the two were related as an AMLA investigation could lead to Lim, and he aimed to prevent that by paying to avoid a case. He then added that Lim was aware of his efforts - including payments - after he met with Lim about businessman G. Gnanaraja. Zarul clarified that he paid RM19mil to Gnanaraja, introduced to him by former minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and said to be close to then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to close the MACC investigation, not RM22mil as previously stated. He admitted his actions were driven by a desire to protect Lim, insisting he did not lie. Zarul Ahmad was then released from court, ending his testimony. MACC investigating officer Ng Heng Jun, who handled a previous case involving Zarul and Gnanaraja in Shah Alam, testified as the 36th prosecution witness. In the 2019 Shah Alam case, Zarul sued Gnanaraja for cheating him of RM19mil to induce dropping money laundering charges. Gnanaraja pleaded guilty to an alternative charge under the Companies Act and was fined RM230,000, while the cheating case was classified as "no further action (NFA)". A 108-page statement by Zarul to the MACC for the Shah Alam case was used in this court to impeach Zarul's credibility due to conflicting statements involving Gnanaraja. Lim, 64, faces an amended charge of using his position as Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3mil in bribes to help Zarul secure the undersea tunnel project worth RM6.34bil. Lim allegedly committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister's Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017. In a second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a 10% profit from the company as gratification to secure the project. The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, in March 2011. Lim faces two further charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8mil, belonging to the Penang government, to be disposed of to two companies linked to the project. The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on June 24.
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Penang undersea tunnel trial witness admits to lying to protect Guan Eng
KUALA LUMPUR: A key witness in Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial reiterated that he was simply telling the truth in court and was indifferent to whether the former Penang chief minister was guilty or not. Former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said the bribes indeed took place as there was a lot of evidence and documents submitted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during its probe. "I had to speak the truth. If I followed my heart, I would want him (Lim) to win this case because I owe him a debt of gratitude. "However, during the investigation, I saw a lot of evidence and documents, and I could not deny that the incident actually happened," he said when testifying as the 23rd prosecution witness today. He said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin at the trial involving the RM6.3 billion major roads and undersea tunnel construction project in Penang linked to Lim. Wan Shaharuddin: You told the court that you were asked to make a press statement (prior to the trial), and you said the contents of the statement were untrue, yet you still gave the statement. Zarul: I did it to protect my project because I did not want to worsen the situation with Lim at the time, and I wanted to protect him. According to Zarul, what was said in the press statement claimed the project was obtained transparently and with no criminal elements, but that was not true. Wan Shaharuddin: What you said at the time was not true and you lied to the people of Penang, yet you still wanted to protect Lim's image? Zarul: I truly owed him a debt of gratitude, and I followed his instructions because at that time he was serving as the finance minister. Lim is facing four charges of using his position as the then Penang chief minister to help Zarul's company secure the undersea tunnel project in return for gratification. He was accused of seeking 10 per cent of the profit to be made by the company. He was also accused of receiving RM3.3 million for himself and causing two plots of land belonging to the state government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the undersea tunnel project. The trial before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi will resume on June 24.
