Latest news with #Gnanaraja
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
‘Bank account ordered by Lim'
It was used to channel bribes related to tunnel project, says key witness KUALA LUMPUR: A key prosecution witness told the court that he was directed by former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng to open a bank account specifically to facilitate payments related to the Penang undersea tunnel project. Businessman G. Gnanaraja said he set up Bumi Muhibah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd to channel alleged bribes to Lim in August 2017. The company maintained a CIMB bank account, over which Gnanaraja had exclusive control. 'Lim Guan Eng instructed me to set up and open this bank account. 'All requests regarding the company's setup and account were made while I was with Lim in a car en route to Publika on Aug 20, 2017,' he told the Sessions Court yesterday. Gnanaraja's testimony further detailed how he met businessman Datuk Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli, a former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), in May 2017 to discuss setting up the company to facilitate payments to Lim. 'Datuk Zarul and I communicated about having me as the intermediary for bribe payments from him to Lim. 'He chose me as I was not affiliated with any opposition parties at the time,' he said. Gnanaraja, who is the 37th witness, and was charged in April 2019 at the Shah Alam Court with cheating Zarul Ahmad of RM19mil, recounted the events of Aug 18, 2017 at the Eastin Hotel in Petaling Jaya. He said he received two bags purportedly containing RM2mil from Zarul Ahmad. 'Datuk Zarul wanted to give me RM2mil in cash meant for Lim Guan Eng.' When he arrived at the hotel, he said Zarul Ahmad handed him two dark bags, stating '1M' as he placed them in Gnanaraja's car. Gnanaraja clarified that '1M' referred to RM1mil per bag. Upon returning to his residence, Gnanaraja said he meticulously checked the contents of the bags. 'I opened both bags in my study room to verify the cash inside, as informed by Datuk Zarul. 'My study room is always locked, and only I have the key. 'Inside the bags, I found numerous bundles of RM100 notes, confirming what I had been told,' he said. He noted that the bags remained untouched in his study room until Aug 20, 2017, when Zarul Ahmad called, requesting the delivery of one bag containing RM1mil to Lim in Kuala Lumpur. Gnanaraja detailed a subsequent event on Aug 20, 2017, where he allegedly transferred one of the bags containing RM1mil to Lim. 'I placed the bag in the back seat of Datuk Zarul's car and travelled with him to meet Lim Guan Eng near Hotel Wenworth. 'This was during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where Lim Guan Eng joined us for a discussion on confidential financial arrangements. 'He was in his official chief minister attire, and I wore a batik shirt. 'He greeted us warmly and mentioned attending an official event at Publika but wanted to discuss confidential financial matters first,' he said. Gnanaraja added that it was his first time hearing of an individual named Datuk Ewein (the late Ewein Bhd founder and executive chairman Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng), whom Lim intended to introduce him to later. Ewe, a property developer, was due to be called as the 15th prosecution witness in this trial, but was found dead after a fall from a condominium in George Town, Penang, on Oct 5, 2021. He was involved in the trial as his company gave Zarul Ahmad money for a land-swap deal for a plot of state land, known as Lot 702, between 2013 and 2016 for the undersea tunnel project. Lim, 64, is facing an amended charge of using his position as then Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3mil in bribes as an inducement to assist Zarul Ahmad in securing the undersea tunnel project worth RM6.34bil. Lim allegedly committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister's Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017. In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a 10% profit from the company as gratification to secure the project. The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City here, in March 2011. Lim, who is Bagan MP, faces two further charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8mil, belonging to the Penang government, to be disposed of to two companies linked to the project. The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on Aug 19.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Penang undersea tunnel case: Guan Eng told me to open bank account to channel funds, says witness
KUALA LUMPUR: A key prosecution witness has told the court that he was directed by former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng to open a bank account specifically to facilitate payments related to the Penang undersea tunnel project. Businessman G. Gnanaraja said he set up the company Bumi Muhibah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd in August 2017, which maintained a CIMB account he had exclusive control of. "Lim instructed me to set up and open this bank account. All requests regarding the company and bank account were made while I was with Lim in a car on Aug 20, 2017," he told the Sessions Court on Wednesday (July 23). Gnanaraja's testimony further detailed how he met businessman Datuk Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli, a former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), in May 2017 to discuss setting up the company. "Zarul and I communicated about having me as the intermediary for bribe payments from him to Lim. "He chose me as I was not affiliated with any opposition party at the time," he said. Gnanaraja, who is the 37th witness in the trial and was previously charged in April 2019 with cheating Zarul Ahmad of RM19mil, recounted the events of Aug 18, 2017, at a hotel in Petaling Jaya. He said he received two bags purportedly containing RM2mil from Zarul Ahmad. "Zarul wanted to give me RM2mil in cash meant for Lim Guan Eng." Upon arriving at the hotel, he said Zarul Ahmad handed him two dark bags, saying "1M" as he placed each bag in Gnanaraja's car. Gnanaraja clarified that "1M" referred to RM1mil per bag. Upon returning to his residence, Gnanaraja said he meticulously checked the contents of the bags. "Inside the bags, I found numerous bundles of RM100 notes, confirming what I had been told," he said. He noted that the bags remained untouched in his study until Aug 20, 2017, which he said was always locked and he had the only key. He said on that day, Zarul Ahmad called and requested one bag containing RM1mil to be delivered to Lim in Kuala Lumpur. The court had to adjourn temporarily when Gnanaraja experienced a coughing fit. When proceedings resumed, he could only proceed to page 13 of his 24-page statement due to continued coughing. In his statement, Gnanaraja detailed a sequence of events on Aug 20, 2017, where he allegedly gave one of the bags containing RM1mil to Lim. "I placed the bag in the back seat of Zarul Ahmad's car and travelled with him to meet Lim near a hotel (in Kuala Lumpur)," he said. "He greeted us warmly and mentioned attending an official event but wanted to discuss confidential financial matters first," he said. Gnanaraja said Lim wanted to introduce him to an individual named Datuk Ewein (the late Ewein Bhd founder and executive chairman Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng), saying this was the first time he had heard of him. Ewe, a property developer, was due to be called as the 15th prosecution witness but was found dead after a fall from a condominium in Pulau Tikus, Penang on Oct 5, 2021. He was involved in the trial as his company gave Zarul Ahmad money for a land-swap deal for a plot of state land, known as Lot 702, between 2013 and 2016 for the undersea tunnel project. Lim, 64, is facing an amended charge of using his position as then Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3mil in bribes as an inducement to assist Zarul Ahmad in securing the undersea tunnel project worth RM6.34bil. Lim allegedly committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister's Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017. In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a 10% profit from the company as gratification to secure the project. The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City here, in March 2011. Lim, who is Bagan MP, faces two further charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8mil, belonging to the Penang government, to be disposed of to two companies linked to the project. The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on Aug 19.
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Guan Eng told me to set up firm to move bribes, key witness businessman Gnanaraja tells court
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
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Guan Eng told me to set up account for payments, businessman tells court
G Gnanaraja told the sessions court he met businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli in May 2017 to discuss setting up a company to facilitate intended payments to Lim Guan Eng. KUALA LUMPUR : A businessman told Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial that the former Penang chief minister instructed him to open a bank account eight years ago to facilitate payments in relation to the undersea tunnel project. G Gnanaraja said he utilised Bumi Muhibah Sdn Bhd to pay bribes to Lim sometime in August 2017. He said the company maintained a CIMB bank account ending in 783, to which he had full access. 'YB Lim and I spoke about this when we were travelling in a car,' said Gnanaraja. Gnanaraja said he met with fellow businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli in May that year to discuss setting up a company for Zarul to facilitate payments to Lim. 'Zarul wanted me to be the 'middleman', to hand over money to me, as I was not involved with opposition parties (at the time),' he said, adding that Zarul subsequently introduced him to Lim. First 'middleman' task Gnanaraja told the court that he acted as a 'middleman' for the first time on Aug 20, 2017, when he was instructed to pass RM1 million to Lim. 'Zarul gave me two bags (containing RM1 million each) at Eastin Hotel a few days earlier. He put them in my car and left,' he said. Gnanaraja then went home and put the bags in his study room. 'I checked both bags and saw that they contained RM100 notes. I also locked my study room so that no one would enter,' he said. The businessman said Zarul contacted him on Aug 20, 2017, asking him to bring one of the bags. 'Zarul said that we were picking up YB Lim from Hotel Wenworth to go to Publika,' Gnanaraja said. The hearing before judge Azura Alwi was adjourned to Aug 19 after Gnanaraja told the court he was unwell. Lim is accused of using his position as Penang chief minister to solicit a 10% share of profits from the undersea tunnel project and receiving RM3.3 million in bribes from Zarul. He also faces two charges of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land.
Free Malaysia Today
24-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Probe, prosecution of businessman not in vain, MACC officer tells court
Businessman G Gnanaraja was fined RM230,000 after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of using company funds to enrich himself under Section 218(1) of the Companies Act in 2020. KUALA LUMPUR : An investigating officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) told the sessions court in Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial here that their efforts to probe and charge businessman G Gnanaraja had not 'gone to waste'. Eng Heng Jun acknowledged that Gnanaraja was initially charged with cheating key witness Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli in Lim's undersea tunnel project case, but that those charges were later withdrawn. Gnanaraja was fined RM230,000 after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of using company funds to enrich himself under Section 218(1) of the Companies Act in 2020. Eng told the court that the RM230,000 was paid to the government's coffers. 'I disagree with counsel's suggestion that Section 218(1) was a 'minor' charge (as opposed to the cheating charges which carried a custodial sentence),' he said during cross-examination by defence lawyer Haijan Omar. Haijan had questioned the prosecution's move to offer Gnanaraja an alternative charge. Eng said the Section 218(1) charge was offered to Gnanaraja after Zarul in 2019 amended his witness statement, telling authorities that he had made 'mistakes' regarding the source of funds allegedly used to pay Gnanaraja. He added that the amendments to the witness statement meant 'it was insufficient to proceed with the cheating charges'. Tiara Katrina Fuad, who also represented Lim, then questioned the investigating officer on whether he doubted Zarul's credibility as a witness. 'So, do you think he was not a credible witness because he changed his stand?' she asked. Eng disagreed with the lawyer, saying the instructions to offer the Section 218(1)(a) charge came from the deputy public prosecutor. The hearing continues before judge Azura Alwi on June 25. Lim is charged with using his position as then Penang chief minister to ask Zarul for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks from the businessman. He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land.
