Court to examine statement of main prosecution witness in Guan Eng’s corruption case

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here will examine the document containing the statement of the prosecution's main witness in the undersea tunnel corruption case involving former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, before deciding whether it can be handed over to the defence.

Judge Azura Alwi said this after Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin informed that the prosecution had submitted the 108-page document to the court this morning.

"The court needs to examine this document first to determine (whether or not) there is a contradiction before deciding if it can be handed over to the defense," Azura said at the case proceeding that was also attended by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, representing Lim.

She then set Jan 9 next year for mention of the case to decide whether the statement document could be handed over to the defense and to determine whether the proceedings challenging the credibility of the main witness would continue or otherwise.

The document contains a copy of the statement of the 23rd prosecution witness, namely the director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, which was recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the case involving businessman G. Gnanaraja at the Shah Alam Court.

On Nov 2, Azura ordered for a copy of the recording of the statement to be submitted to the court first to determine if there was a contradiction in Zarul Ahmad's statement recorded by the MACC with his statement in the Sessions Court here.

According to the first amended charge, Lim, 60, is alleged of using his position as chief minister of Penang at the time to receive bribes amounting to RM3.3 million, by helping a company owned by Zarul Ahmad to be appointed to implement a highway and undersea tunnel project in Penang worth RM6,341,383,702.

Lim is alleged to have committed the act between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister's Office.

For the second amended charge, Lim is alleged to have sought a bribe of 10 per cent of the profits from Zarul Ahmad as an inducement to help the businessman's company be appointed for the same project.

Lim allegedly committed the act near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City between 12.30 am and 2 am, in March 2011.

He is also facing two charges of causing two lots of land owned by the Penang State Government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to companies allegedly linked to the undersea tunnel project in the state. The offence was allegedly committed at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.

-- BERNAMA