Guan Eng consulted state govt officers on legality of tunnel project, court told
MACC investigating officer tells the sessions court that the Penang exco discussed the project's legality and the state legal adviser acted on the executive council's instructions.
Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng sought the opinions of senior state government officials on the legality of the proposed undersea tunnel project, according to the sessions court in Kuala Lumpur. During cross-examination, lawyer Ramkarpal Singh revealed that Lim inquired with the state secretary and state legal adviser at several Penang executive committee meetings in 2011, discussing matters such as potential violations of landowners' rights and the National Land Code.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer Zulhilmi Ramli confirmed that these discussions were documented in the exco meeting minutes and that the state legal adviser acted upon the executive council's instructions. MACC has recorded statements from former state legal adviser Faiza Zulkifli and former state secretary Farizan Darus as part of their investigation.
Lim is alleged to have sought a 10% share of the project's profits and accepted RM3.3 million in bribes from businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli, in addition to misappropriating state land worth RM208.7 million. The court hearing continues on September 10.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
