LGE Charged For Pocketing RM3.3 Million Bribe In Penang Undersea Tunnel Project
This comes after the former Penang chief minister was charged for soliciting a bribe from Consortium Zenith Construction on Friday, 7 August.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 10 Aug 2020, 11:48 AM
Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng has faced a fresh charge for receiving RM3.3 million in bribes in connection to the Penang undersea tunnel project
According to The Star, he was charged at Butterworth Sessions Court before Judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid this morning, 10 August.
Lim, who was the state chief minister from 2008 to 2018, was charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009. If convicted, he could face imprisonment of up to 20 years and fined five times the value of the bribe.
He allegedly received the money to assist Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli's company - Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd - in being appointed to the multi-billion project. The company was awarded the project to build three paired roads and an undersea tunnel linking Butterworth to the Penang island, reported Malaysiakini.
The offence is said to have been committed at the chief minister's office in Komtar, Penang between January 2011 and August 2017.
Lim pleaded not guilty to the charge
Lim was represented by fellow DAP members Ramkarpal Singh, Gobind Singh Deo, RSN Rayer, and V Vemal Arasan.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, along with his colleagues Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar and Francine Cheryl Rajendram.
Present in the court to show support to Lim were his wife Betty Chew, mother Neo Yoke Tee, DAP stalwart and father Lim Kit Siang, son Marcus Lim, as well as Dewan Negara Senator and sister Lim Hui Ying.
The case has been transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court following today's proceeding, reported New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, Lim's wife is expected to be charged tomorrow, 11 August, for another case
The Star reported that Chew is believed to be facing a charge over a land conversion deal and the purchase of a bungalow below market price.
The case was dropped in 2018 when the Pakatan Harapan government was in power. The High Court had then granted an acquittal to Lim and businesswoman Phang Li Koon, the person who facilitated the bungalow sale in 2015.
The case was supposed to be reviewed at the Court of Appeal in February this year, but due to the political crisis dubbed as 'Langkah Sheraton', the proceeding was disrupted.
