Guan Eng trial: Amended statements to MACC to ‘correct situation’, says witness
Published on: Friday, March 15, 2024
By:
FMT, Ho Kit Yen
Lim Guan Eng is on trial for allegedly using his position as then Penang chief minister to seek a 10% cut of profits from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks from a businessman. (Bernama pic)
Kuala Lumpur: A key witness in Lim Guan Eng’s undersea tunnel corruption trial says he amended statements given to graft-busters in 2018 in a separate cheating probe as he wanted to “correct the situation”.
Businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli admitted that he initially did not mention Lim in statements given to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2018 over a cheating probe into fellow businessman G Gnanaraja.
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However, Zarul told the sessions court here today that he later told MACC investigating officers he wanted to amend his 2018 statements when they recorded one from him again on Dec 9, 2019.
He said he wanted to amend his earlier statements after reading a witness statement tendered in court by colleague Ibrahim Sahari in a cheating case brought against Gnanaraja at the Shah Alam High Court.
“At that time, five of us (who were called to testify) were all seated in a witness room. (Ibrahim’s) statement was on the table and I took the liberty to read it,” Zarul said, when asked by Lim’s lawyer, RSN Rayer.
However, Zarul said he was not asked to take the witness stand in Gnanaraja’s case.
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Rayer then asked Zarul why he made changes to his 2018 statements after more than a year.
“From Jan 19 to Sept 5, 2018, you told MACC that the money (RM19 million) was handed to Gnanaraja so he (Gnanaraja) can help you ‘settle’ a money laundering case and get close to former prime minister Najib Razak,” the lawyer pointed out.
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Zarul replied: “I wanted to correct the situation.”
Rayer: Because of (Ibrahim’s statement), you denied what you told MACC a year ago?
Zarul: Yes.
The businessman also said MACC’s lengthy probe and his subsequent arrest worsened his anxiety, adding that he did not leave his house for two months at one point.
Rayer then asked: “Why were you remanded?”
Zarul told the court he was remanded over the MACC probe into the undersea tunnel project.
However, throughout the investigations, he said MACC never ordered him to declare his assets. Neither was he issued notices freezing his assets.
Lim is standing trial on charges of 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.
The hearing before judge Azura Alwi continues on April 1.
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