KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The defence team in the undersea tunnel corruption case involving former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng today failed in their application to postpone proceedings challenging the credibility of a key prosecution witness in the case.
This was after Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi allowed the prosecution’s objection to the application by RSN Rayer, who represented Lim, to postpone the proceedings to challenge the credibility of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli to another date.
Earlier, Azura ordered the proceedings to continue after being satisfied that there was a contradiction in the testimony given by the witness to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the court regarding the fraud case of businessman G. Gnanaraja involving RM19 million over the same undersea tunnel case.
However, Rayer requested that today’s proceedings be postponed because the defence needs to examine the last few parts of the proceedings before cross-examining the witnesses.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who objected to the application, said the defence should have prepared earlier before the proceedings began.
“The reasons given by the defence do not make sense because this case has been going on for four years. Therefore, we object to the proceedings being postponed today,” he said.
According to the first amended charge, Lim, 63, is accused of using his position as the chief minister of Penang to receive bribes amounting to RM3.3 million by helping a company owned by Zarul Ahmad to be appointed to carry out the Construction of Main Roads and Tunnels in Penang worth RM6,341,383,702 between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office.
As for the second amended charge, Lim is alleged to have asked for a bribe of 10 per cent of the profit obtained by Zarul Ahmad as inducement to help the businessman’s company to be appointed for the same project.
Lim allegedly committed the act near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City here between 12.30 midnight and 2am in March 2011.
He also faces two charges of causing two lots of land owned by the Penang state government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to two companies linked to the undersea tunnel project in the state which was allegedly carried out at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar on February 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017.
The proceedings continue on July 19. — Bernama
