GEORGE TOWN, March 4 — The Penang Undersea Tunnel graft allegations by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin is “pure fiction” and defamatory, the project contractor said today.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd Senior Executive Director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said the allegations in the blog were clearly concocted to deceive the public and defame his company and the Penang state government.
“Even Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said it is a lie,” he said in a statement today to respond to the series of posts by the political blogger over the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel and paired road projects.
Zarul said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) conducted an extensive investigation into the project in which he was remanded for 11 days.
“Besides me, my entire company was called for questioning, spending a total of 40 days in and out of the MACC office, cooperating with every single aspect that was being investigated,”
“This includes close scrutiny of our accounts,” he said.
He said the MACC had even hired external consultants to see if the company was fair in our pricing.
“And clearly, given the magnitude of our project, our prices were fair, justified and above board,” he said.
He reminded “all sceptics out there” that the case was investigated and completed before the change of government had taken place.
“There was plenty of time to level charges against me or anyone else alleged to receive bribes,” he said.
Zarul said the company’s goal now is to put all of their resources into the project so that it could kick off as soon as possible.
“It has been very challenging for me over the years to counter every single allegation, but yet the truth has always prevailed.
“I pray that God gives me the strength to persevere and complete the job I am tasked to do,” he added.
Over the past week, Raja Petra alleged in several posts that several Penang state exco was implicated in MACC investigations into the undersea tunnel and three paired roads project.
Dr Mahathir recently responded by calling the blogger a liar.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P.Ramasamy has said he is ready to cooperate with the MACC in any further investigations into the project.
Consortium Zenith is the project delivery partner for the massive infrastructure project and Package Two of the project, a paired road to connect Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to Air Itam, is expected to start on August 31.
Package One, in two phases, is to connect Tanjung Bungah to Batu Ferringhi and to connect Batu Ferringhi to Teluk Bahang.
The third package is to connect Gurney Drive to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
The undersea tunnel will be the final component of the whole project to be implemented.
