CZBUCG Held Several Meetings With State Government Before Tender Was Opened – Witness

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court was told today that there were between four and five meetings between Consortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group (CZBUCG) and the Penang state government before the open tender for the state’s major roads and undersea tunnel project.

Senior Officer of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Zulhilmi Ramli, 34, said the meetings were attended by the company’s representative, Datuk Lee Chee Hoe, and state government representatives from the Penang State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN), represented by an individual known as Azlan.

The 38th prosecution witness, who was answering questions from defence counsel Mohd Haijan Omar during cross-examination, however said he could not recall the dates of the meetings.

The witness said this during the trial of former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, 65, who is facing corruption charges in connection with the RM6.3 billion Penang major roads and undersea tunnel construction project.

Meanwhile, Zulhilmi rejected Haijan’s suggestion that there was no basis to support the CZBUCG witness’s claim regarding all the meetings attended by them, aside from three meetings on 10 and 19 May and 11 July 2011, which were held before the open tender was called.

Zulhilmi said this was based on the testimony of former CZBUCG Director, Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, that there were earlier meetings, but agreed that there were no records of those additional meetings.

Zulhilmi also agreed that the documents seized mostly consisted of payment forms, cheque books, and files related to the three major roads construction project.

Previously, Zulhilmi, in his witness statement, said CZBUCG was the best among the five bidders evaluated for the project.

He said CZBUCG obtained a score of 93 per cent compared to the closest bidder, VST Cemerlang, which obtained 77 per cent, resulting in CZBUCG being selected for the project tender.

Guan Eng is charged with, while holding the position of Penang Chief Minister, using his position to obtain gratification for himself amounting to RM3.3 million, by assisting a company owned by Zarul Ahmad to be appointed to implement the Penang major roads and tunnel construction project worth RM6,341,383,702, at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office between January 2011 and August 2017.

For the second charge, the Bagan Member of Parliament is accused of soliciting a 10 per cent cut of the profits to be obtained from Zarul Ahmad, as a reward for assisting the businessman’s company to be appointed for the same project.

He also faces two charges of causing two parcels of Penang state government land worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to a developer company linked to the undersea tunnel project.

The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues tomorrow.

Harian Metro