{
  "id": 251097,
  "title": "Guan Eng consulted state govt officers on legality of tunnel project, court told",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/guan-eng-consulted-state-govt-officers-on-legality-of-tunnel-project",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-07T04:53:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/07/guan-eng-consulted-state-govt-officers-on-legality-of-tunnel-project-court-told"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The former Penang chief minister, Lim Guan Eng, is accused of seeking legal advice from senior state government officials regarding the legality of a proposed undersea tunnel project, according to court testimony. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) claims that Lim also sought a 10% share of profits from the tunnel project and accepted RM3.3 million in bribes from a businessman. The court heard that discussions on the project's legality, including its compliance with landowner rights and the National Land Code, were recorded during exco meetings in 2011. MACC investigating officer Zulhilmi Ramli also confirmed that the state legal adviser, Faiza Zulkifli, and former state secretary Farizan Darus were interviewed as part of the investigation. Lim faces additional charges of dishonestly misappropriating state land worth RM208.7 million.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}