I gave Guan Eng, Najib RM2mil each, businessman tells court

 The star witness in Lim Guan Eng’s undersea tunnel corruption trial told the sessions court that he paid out a total of RM4 million to the former Penang chief minister and the then prime minister Najib Razak in 2017.

(FMT) – Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd director Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli said he instructed his employees – Azli Adam and Ibrahim Sahari – to cash a RM2 million cheque, which was intended as payment for Lim.

The money was part of kickbacks Lim is alleged to have received from the tunnel project, he said.

Lim is standing trial on charges of using his position to ask Zarul for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project, and accepting RM3.3 million from the businessman.

He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land to two companies.

“I took out (a sum of) RM4 million, RM2 million in cash and (another) RM2 million from a cheque.

“The RM2 million cash (came) from my safe and (was) given to (former prime minister) Najib.

“The the (other) RM2 million, came from a cheque, (and was) to be given to Lim Guan Eng,” Zarul said.

He further claimed that the funds intended for Najib were handed over to G Gnanaraja.

Zarul said he thought that Najib would be in a position to “influence” the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to close investigations against him.

Lim’s lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, however, accused Zarul of lying.

Gobind pointed out that Zarul told MACC in a cheating case involving Gnanaraja that only one cheque was involved. He said Gnanaraja deceived Zarul into believing that he could help the latter close ongoing investigations into money laundering.

In response, Zarul told the court he had “rectified” his statement to MACC over the cash and cheque.

Asked if he was trying to “pin the blame” on Lim, Zarul replied: “I don’t agree.”

The hearing continues tomorrow before judge Azura Alwi, when the court is expected to hear an application by Lim for the discovery of statements recorded from Zarul by MACC.