Guan Eng told me to set up firm to move bribes, key witness businessman Gnanaraja tells court

Malay Mail

5 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — The key prosecution witness in the Penang undersea tunnel corruption trial involving Lim Guan Eng told the Sessions Court today that his vehicle company was used as a conduit for bribery payments to the former chief minister.
Businessman G. Gnanaraja, 44, testified that Lim had instructed him to set up a company, Bumi Muhibah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd, and open a bank account for it. The company was incorporated on Aug 10, 2016, and in August 2017, he used it to facilitate bribe payments to Lim.
'All instructions to establish the company and open the account were given by Lim while we were in a car en route to Publika on Aug 20, 2017. The company held a CIMB Bank account at the CIMB KLCC branch.
'I had full access to the account as I was the sole authorised individual to withdraw funds,' he said while reading his witness statement during the trial involving the Penang road and undersea tunnel project.
The 37th prosecution witness added that he became acquainted with Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, then Director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), around May 2017. Between Aug 10 and 19, 2017, they communicated regarding Gnanaraja acting as the intermediary between Zarul Ahmad and Lim.
Gnanaraja testified that Datuk Zarul selected him as an intermediary to deliver cash to Lim based on trust and the fact that he was not affiliated with any opposition party at the time.
He further stated that during a meeting at Hotel Impiana in Ipoh on Aug 18, 2017, he and Zarul discussed a sum of RM2 million that Zarul intended to hand over to Lim.
'Later that day, around 5 pm, while I was at home, Datuk Zarul called and asked to meet him at Eastin Hotel, Petaling Jaya at 6 pm. Upon arrival, Datuk Zarul exited his vehicle, retrieved two dark-coloured bags and placed them in the boot of my car.
'I understood the bags contained cash as Datuk Zarul said '1M' while placing the first bag and '1M' again with the second. By '1M', I understood him to mean one million ringgit,' he said.
Gnanaraja added that upon returning home, he opened both bags and found they contained bundles of RM100 banknotes.
'I did not count the bundles of cash. I confirm that both bags remained in my study and were not moved until I received a call from Datuk Zarul on Aug 20, 2017,' he said.
Gnanaraja said, on that morning, he received a phone call from Zarul Ahmad instructing him to prepare one of the bags containing RM1 million and proceed to the vicinity of Hotel Wen Worth in Pudu to pick up Lim.
'When we reached there, Lim, dressed in the official white chief minister's attire bearing the Penang state crest, entered Datuk Zarul's car. I was wearing a batik shirt.
'Lim greeted us and exchanged pleasantries with both of us. He informed me that he had initially intended to arrange a meeting between me and an individual named Datuk Ewein, but chose instead to speak with me directly to discuss confidential financial matters intended for his benefit,' Gnanaraja testified.
According to the amended first charge, Lim, 64, is accused, in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang, of abusing his position to receive a bribe of RM3.3 million to assist a company owned by Zarul Ahmad in securing the Major Roads and Undersea Tunnel Construction Project in Penang, valued at RM6,341,383,702.
The offence allegedly took place between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Chief Minister's Office in Penang.
Under the amended second charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a 10 percent bribe out of the project's future profits from Zarul Ahmad for assisting his company in securing the same project.
The solicitation allegedly took place near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30 am and 2.00 am in March 2011.
Additionally, Lim faces two charges of disposing of a couple of state-owned lots of land in Penang, valued at RM208.8 million, to a developer linked to the undersea tunnel project.
These offences were allegedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi resumes on Aug 19. — Bernama