Witness against Guan Eng: I slept on MACC lockup cement floor

A prosecution witness in Lim Guan Eng's graft case had to sleep on the cement floor of an MACC lockup for 11 days six years ago, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court heard.

Consortium Zenith Construction director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli emotionally recalled his harrowing time while under remand in January 2018.

The key witness claimed that when he was first brought to the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court to be remanded, he was handcuffed in front of the public.

Zarul (above) lamented that this made it seem like he was a murderer.

"I was under remand for 11 days, I slept on the cement floor, I had a slipped disc, and I was emotional.

"While suffering pain, 30 to 40 (MACC) officers met me while under remand.

"After I was released, my wife held a kenduri, but I was called to the MACC (for questioning in March 2018) so I could not be there.

"I was grilled for 14 hours. How can I have a clear mind? How on earth can a human being endure this?

"My wife called me, asking why I could not come home for kenduri, I had to FaceTime (with her)," the cancer patient chokingly testified.

Impeachment proceeding

Zarul’s emotional response was against an impeachment proceeding that Lim initiated to shred his credibility as a witness.

The former Penang chief minister is facing corruption charges linked to the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.

Lim's lawyers claimed there are material differences between Zarul's testimony against the accused in the Kuala Lumpur court and the testimony against businessperson G Gnanaraja in an RM19 million cheating case at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

Gnanaraja is also a key witness against Lim in the graft case.

The Shah Alam case was also linked to the same undersea tunnel project.

During questioning by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin today, Zarul explained he tried to tell the MACC then about the graft claims against Lim.

He alleged, however, that antigraft officers told him to focus on the alleged cheating case against Gnanaraja.

Zarul claimed he did tell MACC later about the corruption allegation against Lim.

The impeachment proceedings before trial judge Azura Alwi resumes on Aug 26.

Gnanaraja was previously charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court on April 3, 2019, for allegedly deceiving Zarul on three occasions in 2017, into believing he (Gnanaraja) had political connections that could stop the MACC investigation against Zarul.

However, on Dec 23, 2020, Gnanaraja pleaded guilty to an alternative charge under Section 218(1)(A) of the Companies Act 2016, and the Shah Alam lower court sentenced him to a fine of RM230,000.

Charges against Lim

Lim is on trial over four corruption charges involving the planned construction of Penang’s undersea tunnel and paired roads project connecting the island to the mainland.

He is accused of abusing his power as then-Penang chief minister for the first charge to obtain RM3.3 million in monetary gratification as an inducement to appoint Zarul’s company to implement the project worth RM6,341,383,702.

The Bagan MP allegedly committed the offence between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office.

On the second charge, Lim allegedly asked Zarul for 10 percent of profits as a reward for helping his company secure the project.

Lim is purported to have committed the offence at The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, in Kuala Lumpur, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.

He also faces two counts of dishonest disposing of two plots of land belonging to the Penang government in Bandar Tanjong Pinang worth RM208 million to the developer of the tunnel project, which allegedly took place at the State Land and Mines Office in Komtar on Feb 17, 2015, and March 22, 2017.

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