KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — A prosecution witness in Lim Guan Eng’s corruption trial over the Penang undersea tunnel project today denied he discussed giving bribes to the former chief minister while messaging fellow businessman G. Gnanaraja.

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli told the High Court in Penang that he only talked about giving "chocolates” to Gnanaraja. He said "chocolates” were a euphemism for bribes.

According to Free Malaysia Today, Zarul said he did not instruct Gnanaraja to deliver the "chocolates” to Lim, identified as "CM,” or to another individual referred to as the "big boss,” in the messages.

During investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Zarul disclosed that he provided Gnanaraja with a total of RM4 million, divided into four separate bags containing RM1 million each, in 2017.

He previously claimed half the sum was cashed for a cheque intended for Lim and the other had been held in a safe to eventually be given to the prime minister then, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Lim’s lawyer, Haijan Omar, accused Zarul of fabricating this today but the latter denied doing so.

In November last year, Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi allowed Lim’s application to commence impeachment proceedings against the key prosecution witness over his credibility as a witness in the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel corruption trial against Lim.

Judge Azura Alwi allowed the application to ascertain if there were discrepancies between Zarul Ahmad’s statement recorded by the MACC for the case involving Gnanaraja and his testimony in the Sessions Court here.

Lim is facing four corruption charges involving the proposed construction of an undersea tunnel and paired roads project in Penang.