The defence’s request to start impeachment proceedings against a key witness’s statements recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in a corruption case involving former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and a businessman has been granted by the court. Judge Azura Alwi, presiding over the case, has instructed the prosecution to submit the documents containing the witness statements of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli in a Shah Alam cheating case.
After reviewing the submission, the court has allowed the defence to proceed with impeachment proceedings against the witness. However, the court has also ordered the submission of the witness statements from Shah Alam before they can be presented to the defence. Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin has assured that the documents will be furnished within two weeks. Judge Azura Alwi will study the witness statements for discrepancies before deciding whether to allow the impeachment proceedings. A case management has been set for November 17.
The defence had requested the documents so they could challenge Zarul Ahmad’s credibility, as he has provided conflicting statements in this court and in a previous case involving businessman G. Gnanaraja. Zarul Ahmad’s statements were presented in a separate trial in Shah Alam in 2019, where Gnanaraja faced charges of cheating Zarul Ahmad of RM19mil.
Zarul Ahmad informed the court on October 24 that RM2mil was given to Lim via a cheque for the Penang undersea tunnel and road construction project. He also stated that another RM2mil in cash was given to Gnanaraja, with the purpose of delivering it to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to facilitate the closure of MACC’s ongoing investigation into his company.
Gobind Singh Deo, Lim’s lawyer, argued that Zarul Ahmad had previously stated in the Shah Alam Sessions Court that the RM2mil was meant for Najib. The prosecution claimed that Zarul Ahmad later “rectified” his statement to MACC regarding the Shah Alam case. Gobind questioned the validity of the “rectification,” stating that it should be up to the court to decide, not the prosecution. The defence subsequently filed an order to impeach Zarul Ahmad’s credibility.
Lim Guan Eng, aged 62, is facing an amended charge of soliciting RM3.3mil in bribes using his position as the former Penang chief minister to assist Zarul Ahmad in securing the undersea tunnel project valued at RM6,341,383,702. The alleged offence was committed at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office between January 2011 and August 2017. Lim faces two additional charges of causing the disposal of two plots of land worth RM208.8mil, owned by the Penang government, to companies associated with the state’s undersea tunnel project.
