Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng arrived at the Jalan Duta court complex this morning for the continuation of his corruption trial over the proposed Penang undersea tunnel project. Dressed in a crisp white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, he was seen walking into the complex accompanied by a member of his legal team. The Bagan member of parliament appeared composed as he made his way up the courthouse steps shortly before proceedings were due to begin, NST reported.
The trial covers charges linked to the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel and paired roads project and is being heard in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur. The Star said the case before judge Azura Alwi was fixed to resume today.
Lim, 65, is accused of using his position as chief minister to obtain RM3.3 million in gratification linked to the project, allegedly committed at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office in Komtar between January 2011 and August 2017. He also faces a second charge of obtaining a 10 per cent profit from the project as gratification, allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel in Mid Valley City in March 2011. Two further charges involve the disposal of Penang government land valued at RM208.8 million to companies linked to the project.
Testimony has centred on how the project was awarded. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Zulhilmi Ramli, the 38th prosecution witness, told the court that businessman Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli was first promised the project through direct negotiation before it changed to an open tender. He said three meetings on the preparation of the request for proposal involved only Consortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group and not the other four bidders, which gave the company an advantage.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Ramkarpal Singh, Zulhilmi agreed that the consortium scored the highest mark of 93 per cent among the five companies and that ECK Construction scored 4 per cent. He also agreed that the proposal cut the land requirement from 63.53 hectares to 44.54 hectares, a saving of 19.02 hectares valued at RM235 million. The court further heard that the draft memorandum of understanding between the state government and the consortium carried no guarantee that the company would be awarded the project.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told judge Azura that the prosecution would call former Penang City Council engineering director Datuk Rajendran Peter Anthony, now the council’s mayor, as its final witness, The Edge Malaysia noted. The court has fixed 12 other hearing dates spanning into next year.
