Guan Eng graft trial: prime minister in 2017 recipient of bribes, defence asserts
The Bagan MP’s corruption trial involving the project before the sessions court here today saw his lawyer Gobind Singh Deo asserting that the prime minister in 2017 had received monies from businessmen Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli and G. Gnanaraja, based on a WhatsApp conversation between the duo.
(The Vibes) – Gobind Singh Deo points to messages between businessmen on said leader’s birthdate
Lim Guan Eng’s defence counsel today implicated a former prime minister as the actual recipient of kickbacks related to the Penang undersea tunnel project.
The Bagan MP’s corruption trial involving the project before the sessions court here today saw his lawyer Gobind Singh Deo asserting that the prime minister in 2017 had received monies from businessmen Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli and G. Gnanaraja, based on a WhatsApp conversation between the duo.
Gobind highlighted a particular message on July 23, 2017, pointing out that the date coincides with the birthday of an ex-prime minister.
The WhatsApp message read: “On July 23, 2017 at 9.41am, Gnanaraja says: ‘Good morning Datuk. Had a good birthday cutting cake at 12am with big boss”, Gobind said.
“Gnanaraja later says: ‘I will be seeing him again at 4.30pm later. I have already briefed him on our matter and he said he will brief me later. I will see you after Taman Duta’.
“To this, Zarul responds by saying: ‘Do you still need me before that? I still have the chocolates I want to pass you’,” Gobind added.
Gobind told the court Lim was neither born on that date nor did he live in Taman Duta.
The term “chocolates” refers to cash, while “big boss” refers to Lim, according to previous testimony by Zarul, who is director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, the company handling the undersea tunnel project.
