RM2m payment to help company director get closer to Najib - witness

A prosecution witness said that the RM2 million payment in 2017 to businessperson G Gnanaraja was meant to help a company executive get closer to then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and to obtain future projects.

Ibrahim Sahari, who used to be a director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), told this to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court during today’s corruption trial of Lim Guan Eng linked to the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.

The company executive in question is CZCSB senior executive director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, who, alongside Gnanaraja and Ibrahim, are prosecution witnesses in the graft case against former Penang chief minister Lim (above). CZCSB was the company involved in the tunnel project.

While being cross-examined by lead defence counsel Gobind Singh Deo, the 29th prosecution witness - Ibrahim - confirmed what he had testified in a separate RM19 million cheating case against Gnanaraja at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

It is the defence team’s contention that there has been suppression of evidence due to witnesses such as Ibrahim allegedly saying in the Shah Alam court that the RM2 million was for something else, while in the Kuala Lumpur court trial he had last year testified that Zarul told him the money was a bribe for Lim.

The case in Shah Alam was over Zarul’s complaint lodged with MACC in January 2018 that Gnanaraja allegedly cheated him out of RM19 million as inducement to help drop money laundering investigation against Zarul.

After Gnanaraja was fined by the Shah Alam Sessions Court for an alternative charge under the Companies Act 1965 in 2020, he became a prosecution witness in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court trial of Lim.

Ibrahim also agreed with Gobind that it was ‘impossible’ that the RM2 million payment - which is a crucial aspect of the prosecution’s case against Lim - was for the accused.

Gobind: Did you tell the (Shah Alam Sessions) court that the purpose of the RM2 million was to help Zarul strengthen his relationship with the then-prime minister (in 2017) and to obtain future projects?

Ibrahim: Correct.

Gobind: It is impossible that the RM2 million was for Lim Guan Eng?

Ibrahim: Correct.

Ibrahim agreed with Gobind that the RM2 million payment has nothing to do with Lim.

When Gobind asked who was the prime minister during the RM2 million payment transaction between Zarul and Gnanaraja in August 2017, Ibrahim said it was Najib.

During further grilling from Gobind, Ibrahim explained that in the run-up to the lodging of the MACC complaint against Gnanaraja, Zarul had convened a CZCSB board meeting - attended by Ibrahim - to raise the issue of Gnanaraja allegedly swindling Zarul out of RM19 million.

Ibrahim explained that during the board meeting, they decided to instruct lawyers to issue a letter of demand to Gnanaraja to recover the RM19 million.

Gobind: (The RM19 million) Included the RM2 million?

Ibrahim: Correct.

During Gobind’s questioning, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib raised objection, contending that Ibrahim cannot answer for somebody else, in this case being what Zarul allegedly said during the company meeting.

However, trial judge Azura Alwi allowed Gobind’s question and Ibrahim’s answer to stand.

Later today, the criminal court adjourned proceedings to resume on Aug 7.

Four graft charges

Before the criminal court in Kuala Lumpur, Lim is facing four graft charges.

One charge is framed under Section 16(A)(a) and Section 23 of the MACC Act.

Lim is accused of using his position as then-Penang chief minister for the gratification of RM3.3 million as inducement for helping a company belonging to Zarul to secure the island state’s RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project.

The offence was allegedly perpetrated at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, 28th Floor, Komtar, George Town, Penang, between January 2011 and August 2017.

Under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act, the offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

The second charge, also under Section 16(A)(a), accused Lim as the then-Penang chief minister of having solicited from Zarul bribes amounting to 10 percent of the profits to be earned by the company as gratification for helping secure the project.

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