KUALA LUMPUR – DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has failed in his bid to have his corruption charges related to the Penang undersea tunnel project dropped, following the Attorney-General’s Chamber (ACG) rejection of his representation letter.
The AGC’s decision was conveyed by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin to sessions court judge Azura Alwi during today’s proceedings.
He added that Lim had sent the representation letter on June 28, and that the AGC had decided to reject his request earlier this month.
As a result, the former Penang chief minister’s corruption trial will continue on August 8.
Currently, the court is still in the midst of hearing Lim’s application to impeach prosecution key witness Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, who is Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director.
The impeachment hearing began in March after the judge found discrepancies in Zarul’s testimony during the trial and his statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding an investigation involving businessman G. Gnanaraja related to the same RM19 million undersea tunnel project, which is central to Lim’s charges.
Lim, 63, was accused of using his position as the chief minister to receive a RM3.3 million bribe by helping Zarul’s company to be appointed to carry out the Penang undersea tunnels and road construction that are worth RM6,341,383,702.
He was alleged to have committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office between January 2011 and August 2017.
He also faces another charge for asking for a bribe of 10% of Zarul’s profit in relation to the project, as an inducement for helping the latter to be appointed as the contractor.
He was alleged to have committed this offence near the Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.
He also faces two charges of causing the disposal of two plots of land owned by the Penang government, valued at RM208.8 million, to two companies linked to the undersea tunnel project.
These offences allegedly took place at the Penang State Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on February 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017. – July 19, 2024