Penang undersea tunnel trial witness admits to lying to protect Guan Eng
KUALA LUMPUR: A key witness in Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial reiterated that he was simply telling the truth in court and was indifferent to whether the former Penang chief minister was guilty or not.
Former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said the bribes indeed took place as there was a lot of evidence and documents submitted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during its probe.
"I had to speak the truth. If I followed my heart, I would want him (Lim) to win this case because I owe him a debt of gratitude.
"However, during the investigation, I saw a lot of evidence and documents, and I could not deny that the incident actually happened," he said when testifying as the 23rd prosecution witness today.
He said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin at the trial involving the RM6.3 billion major roads and undersea tunnel construction project in Penang linked to Lim.
Wan Shaharuddin: You told the court that you were asked to make a press statement (prior to the trial), and you said the contents of the statement were untrue, yet you still gave the statement.
Zarul: I did it to protect my project because I did not want to worsen the situation with Lim at the time, and I wanted to protect him.
According to Zarul, what was said in the press statement claimed the project was obtained transparently and with no criminal elements, but that was not true.
Wan Shaharuddin: What you said at the time was not true and you lied to the people of Penang, yet you still wanted to protect Lim's image?
Zarul: I truly owed him a debt of gratitude, and I followed his instructions because at that time he was serving as the finance minister.
Lim is facing four charges of using his position as the then Penang chief minister to help Zarul's company secure the undersea tunnel project in return for gratification.
He was accused of seeking 10 per cent of the profit to be made by the company.
He was also accused of receiving RM3.3 million for himself and causing two plots of land belonging to the state government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the undersea tunnel project.
The trial before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi will resume on June 24.
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