KUALA LUMPUR (July 23): Businessman G Gnanaraja told the sessions court on Wednesday that former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng had asked for details of a Bumiputera company, allegedly used as a front for him to receive bribes from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), with regards to the Penang undersea tunnel project.
Gnanaraja, 44, the 37th prosecution witness, said former CZCSB director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli wanted him (Gnanaraja) to act as a conduit to pay bribes to Lim.
“Zarul Ahmad had chosen me as an intermediary to hand over the money to Lim based on his (Zarul Ahmad’s) trust or confidence in me, as I am not linked to any opposition party at that time,” the businessman said in replying to questions from Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Laden.
Gnanaraja, a graduate in law from the United Kingdom, said the arrangement happened sometime in early August 2017, when he had a transportation company called Bumi Muhibah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd.
He said the company is a Bumiputera company and has two Malay directors.
“I have full access to the company accounts as I am the only one who could withdraw money from this account with CIMB bank at the KLCC branch.
“Lim asked me to prepare and open the company account. The request for me to prepare and open a company bank account was made while Lim was travelling in a car with me to Publika on Aug 20, 2017. Lim also had seen the Form 49 SSM of Bumi Muhibah Holdings when Lim was at my Petaling Jaya home on Aug 29, 2017, for him to gain personal confidence that two Malay directors were appointed,” the witness said.
Form 49 of the Companies Commission Malaysia (SSM) is a notification of the company directors, managers and company secretary.
Prior to this, Gnanaraja’s wife and actress Geethanjali Gausillia Kathirvalu, testified in the early part of Lim’s trial that the DAP politician went to their PJ home in an early morning in 2017.
The witness, continuing his testimony amidst coughing, said he befriended Zarul Ahmad in early May 2017, when he (Zarul Ahmad) was director of CZCSB, which is responsible for handling the Penang undersea tunnel project.
“Sometime in August 2017, I met Zarul Ahmad to discuss Bumi Muhibah Capital where it was meant to facilitate in channeling funds to Lim.
“I knew Lim through Zarul Ahmad when I was in his (Zarul Ahmad’s) car while travelling to Wen Worth Hotel in Pudu and heading towards Publika, Hartamas,” Gnanaraja testified.
Zarul passed Gnanaraja RM2 mil
The businessman said two days before meeting Lim on August 20th, Zarul Ahmad had called for a meeting at Impiana Hotel in Ipoh for breakfast to discuss how to give RM2 million to Lim.
“Zarul Ahmad said he could not prepare the sum at the hotel. Later that day, while at my PJ home, I received a call from Zarul Ahmad asking for a meeting at 6pm at the Eastin Hotel, PJ,” he said.
“The purpose of the hotel meeting was due to Zarul Ahmad wanting to hand over the RM2 million cash which was to be given to Lim. I travelled to the Eastin hotel in my Bentley and upon arriving near the lobby, I saw Zarul Ahmad approaching with two dark bags to be placed in the Bentley bonnet.
“Zarul informed me there is '1M' as he placed the first bag (denoting RM1 million) and said the same '1M' in putting the second bag and left. I then brought the bags containing the money to my home and placed it in my study (term used is bilik kerja). No one has access to my study as it is always locked,” he added.
Gnanaraja said he opened both bags to make sure they contained money and saw many RM100 notes tied together.
He said that he did not count the money but left it in the bag until he received a call from Zarul Ahmad on Aug 20.
In describing the events leading to him meeting Lim, Gnanaraja said he was made to understand that RM1 million needed to be handed to Lim as the Penang DAP leader was also in Kuala Lumpur.
“That morning, Zarul Ahmad called and said he would pick me from my PJ home and asked me to prepare a bag containing the RM1 million bag. Zarul Ahmad arrived at my home between 2pm and 3pm. I placed the bag containing the RM1 million at the back seat of the car and hopped in.
“I asked Zarul Ahmad as to where they were heading and his reply was around Wen Worth hotel in Pudu. On arriving at Wen Worth, Lim entered Zarul Ahmad’s car and sat in the back. Lim was wearing the official white Penang chief minister’s shirt with the state emblem and I also moved to the rear passenger seat,” he said.
Lim told them that he wanted to attend an official function at Publika, Hartamas.
“Then Lim told me that he wanted to introduce me to an individual named Datuk Ewein (Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng). I do not know Ewein personally and asked him whether I had to go to Penang to meet Ewein,” he said.
Proceedings continue next month
Gnanaraja then asked Sessions judge Azura Alwi whether he could end his testimony for the day as he was unwell.
Following that, Azura fixed Aug 19 for Gnanaraja to continue with his testimony.
Lim is on trial for using his position as the then-Penang chief minister to solicit a 10% cut in the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project’s profits from Zarul Ahmad in return for aiding Zarul Ahmad’s company to secure the project.
The 64-year-old former finance minister, who is the current Bagan member of Parliament and Ayer Putih assemblyman, is also accused of accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks. A purported RM2 million paid on Aug 18, 2017, via businessman Gnanaraja, is said to be part of the RM3.3 million.
The present DAP adviser also faces two counts of dishonest misappropriation of property in releasing two plots of state-owned land, cumulatively worth RM208.75 million, to Ewein Zenith Sdn Bhd and Zenith Urban Development — two property companies linked to the controversial undersea tunnel project.