Guan Eng Claims Trial To Soliciting Bribe For Tunnel Project Charge

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Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has claimed trial to a charge of soliciting bribes in connection with the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project
Lim, who spent the night at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya following his arrest, is accused of soliciting the bribe to facilitate the awarding of a contract with regard to the tunnel
The charges were read out before Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi as follows: "That you, on March 2011, at a location near The Gardens Hotel, Syed Putra Circle, Mid Valley City, in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, during your tenure as chief minister of Penang, have solicited a bribe, namely a reward in the form of 10 percent of the  profits that will be obtained later from Zarul Ahmad Bin Mohd Zulkifli, as a fee to help the company owned by Zarul Ahmad to be appointed to carry out construction of the main roads and tunnels in the Penang undersea tunnel project
"Therefore you have committed an offence under section 16 (a) (A) of the MACC Act 2009 which is punishable under section 24 (1) of the same Act
"Any person who commits an offence under section 16 of the ASPRM (MACC Act) 2009 may upon conviction be subject to - a) imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years and b) fined not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe which is the subject of the offence if the bribe can be assessed in the form of money or ten thousand ringgit as the case may be."Lim entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of soliciting bribes
Judge Azura Alwi then set bail at RM1 million in two sureties and ordered Lim to surrender his passport to the court. The former finance minister was asked to pay at least RM500,000 today while the remainder must be submitted no later than Monday
The judge set Sept 9 as the case re-mention date
Zarul is senior executive director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, which was awarded the project
Yesterday, MACC said that Lim would also be charged under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 at the Sessions Court in Penang on Aug 10 and Aug 11
Earlier Lim, who was dressed in a suit, was greeted by a crowd of some 150 supporters outside the court, including many elected representatives from DAP and PKR
Among those present were Lim's father Lim Kit Siang, Liew Chin Tong, Wong Tack, Fong Kui Lun, Wong Kah Woh, M Kulasegaran, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Hannah Yeoh, Maria Chin Abdullah, Chong Eng, Fahmi Fadzil and Khoo Poay Tiong
Lim is being represented by lawyers Gobind Singh Deo, Ramkarpal Singh and RSN Rayer who are also fellow DAP members
The prosecution team is led by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and also includes Ahmad Akram Gharib, Nik Haslini Hashim and Farah Yasmin Salleh
- Mkini

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