KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officer testified that Lim Guan Eng’s decision to appoint Beijing Urban Construction Group for the Penang undersea tunnel project was hasty and driven by personal interest.
Senior Enforcement Officer Zulhilmi Ramli told the Sessions Court the former Penang chief minister’s actions indicated a lack of transparency and intent to bypass open tender processes.
He stated the March 17, 2011 memorandum of understanding between the Penang government and BUCG effectively constituted a direct award to the Chinese company.
“The MoU was clearly not a licence for BUCG or its representatives to be involved in preparing the Request for Proposal,“ said Zulhilmi while reading his witness statement.
He considered this MoU alongside testimony from Consortium Zenith Construction director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli regarding Lim’s promise to directly award the project to BUCG.
The investigating officer revealed another MoU dated April 28, 2011, where Lim signed an agreement with BUCG to develop proposals for Penang’s traffic problems.
This MoU contradicted the state executive council’s April 27, 2011 decision that the project would proceed via open tender.
Zulhilmi testified that Zarul Ahmad met Lim at a Jalan Ampang restaurant in early March 2011 before driving him to The Gardens Hotel around midnight.
“During the journey, the accused proposed arranging an MoU between BUCG and the Penang government,“ said the witness.
He stated Lim promised the tunnel project would be awarded through direct negotiation if Zarul Ahmad could organise the MoU ceremony.
“After saying that, the accused requested 10% of the project’s profits from Zarul Ahmad, who agreed,“ Zulhilmi told the court.
Defence lawyers Ramkarpal Singh and RSN Rayer requested parts of the witness statement be struck out as opinion-based rather than factual.
Judge Azura Alwi directed the defence to list relevant statements before hearing arguments from both sides.
Lim faces charges of using his position to receive RM3.3 million by helping Zarul Ahmad’s company secure the RM6.34 billion project between January 2011 and August 2017.
The Bagan MP also faces charges of soliciting 10% of the project’s profits from Zarul Ahmad as reward for assisting his company.
He additionally faces two charges of causing two plots of state land worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to a developer linked to the undersea tunnel project.
The trial continues tomorrow. – Bernama
