The Kuala Lumpur High Court has postponed a RM20 million civil suit brought by a businessman involving the ‘crooked bridge’ project to March 23.

The trial was postponed because the second defendant, Merong Mahawangsa Sdn Bhd executive director Yahya A Jalil, is on a business trip to Saudi Arabia and will only return next Sunday, the court was told today.

Earlier, Yahya’s counsel Stanley Chang sought a postponement from the court pending the disposal of the appeal by the defendant at the Appellate Court.

The defendants, Merong Mahawangsa and Yahya, are seeking to overrule the High Court’s decision to dismiss their application that the plaintiff’s allegations were “illegal and against public policy”.

Merong Mahawangsa and Yahya are being sued for RM20 million by businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah for non-payment of lobbying work for the ‘crooked bridge’ project, officially known as the Malaysia-Singapore International Gateway.

Eskay had testified in previous days that he had a deal with Yahya, in which the former would approach government figures to help the latter’s company secure the project.

Settlement sought

He also testified that he had approached then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub, whom he described as a family friend, to lobby on behalf of Merong Mahawangsa.

Eskay told the court that he and Yahya were currently negotiation a out of court settlement, to avoid dragging “some personalities” into the trial. Among others, Eskay testified yesterday that Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim III had a stake in the ‘crooked bridge’ project.

Justice VT Singham has rejected a previous application for a postponement and ordered the trial to proceed pending a settlement agreement.

This morning, Singham again refused Chang’s request for a postponement on grounds that the filing for an appeal and stay with the Appellate Court does not automatically result in a stay and ordered Eskay’s counsel CV Prabhakaran to continue with oral submissions as the plaintiff’s case came to a close.

"Yesterday, you wanted to postpone because your client was not present, today you are saying you made an application and this trial has to be adjourn.

“This case was fixed for hearing on Dec 16, 2010 and accepted by both parties to have the hearing from Mar 7 to 11... Convenience and justice are always not on talking terms. They always stand poles apart," Singham reminded Chang.

Dr M's pet project

According to Eskay’s statement of claim, the defendants failed to pay him RM20 million as agreed for helping the defendants secure the crooked bridge project.

Yahya, who as Merong Mahawangsa director, was alleged by Eskay to have had sought his help to procure the project from the government and RM640 million in foreign funds for the project.

The crooked bridge project was first mooted during former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration but talks with Singapore on the joint venture fizzled as concessions sought by Singapore were not agreeable to Malaysia.

Mahathir, however, had insisted on proceeding with a 'crooked half-bridge' on Malaysian waters that would at least allow water and ships to pass through the Straits of Johor.

Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, cancelled the project in 2006.