I was shocked when Guan Eng ‘asked’ for 10% cut, businessman tells court

I was shocked when Guan Eng ‘asked’ for 10% cut, businessman tells court

Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli says he ‘could not imagine’ that Lim Guan Eng would make such a request.

KUALA LUMPUR: The star witness in Lim Guan Eng’s undersea tunnel corruption trial told the sessions court he was shocked when the former Penang chief minister asked him for a 10% cut in the future project.

Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said Lim’s purported request was made some time in March 2011 when he was driving him back to his hotel after they had dinner.

“I was shocked because I could not imagine this would come from YB (Lim), a person that I viewed as someone who is against corruption,” he said, adding that he understood the 10% request was meant as a bribe.

Lim is standing trial on charges of using his position to ask Zarul for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project, and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks from the businessman.

He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land to two companies.

*********

kt comments:

While I have been disgusted by Guanee's political flip flop and bodek-ing of his beloved Atuk, I have my doubts about his alleged corruption as narrated in above article.

My reasons for still believing in his "cleanliness" are many, namely:

(a) Guanee has no known nor rumoured proclivity for corruption in his political career,

(2) We're talking about 2011, just 3 years after Pakatan RAKYAT (with ally PAS, wakakaka) won majority rule in Penang (2008),

(3) Guanee might be dumbo but not that dumbo as to flirt with such an "affair", an Opp CM in a BN-ruled Malaysia where every eff-ing eye would have been on him.

Furthermore, as a former 'victim' of the government of a certain "Someone" who kow-timed him in 1999 under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act (1948) for causing 'disaffection with the administration of justice in Malaysia', and under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for 'maliciously printing' a pamphlet containing allegedly 'false information' which supposedly described the alleged rape victim as an 'imprisoned victim' because she was initially detained by Malaysian police without parental consent for 10 days, Guanee would have been ultra careful on matters which might land him in such waters - as I have written above, "Guanee might be dumbo but not that dumbo as to flirt with such an "affair", an Opp CM in a BN-ruled Malaysia where every eff-ing eye would have been on him."

Wiki has this to say about his governance of Penang when he was CM (2008):

When he took over as the new Penang CM, Lim announced an amnesty on all summonses issued by the Penang Island City Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council involving vendors' licences and parking offences issued before March 2008.

On 14 March 2008, a mob composed mostly of UMNO members and supporters took to the streets illegally after Friday prayers to protest his statements on the NEP. No arrests were made but two men were taken in for questioning. Various BN-backed groups and NGOs continued to protest and lodge police reports as a form of continued harassment.

On 19 March 2008, Lim announced that the state exco had approved an open tender system for state projects exceeding RM 50,000. For projects between RM20,000 and RM50,000, a balloting system was introduced. A two-week objection period was put in place for both the open tender and balloting systems.

Such a CM was hardly likely to go rogue on financial accountability in just a mere 3 years (2011). I still recall with some fondness about a 'Virgin' (wakakaka) CM who, on the night of his election victory in 2008, met his PAS allies in a MacDonald Eatery for an official meeting, and who subsequently flew 'economy' from Penang to KL on a local airline.

He may have changed dramatically in recent years but 2011? - I doubt it.

But Guanee may be in deep trouble unless Gobind can sort out this luxury-wristwatch-loving Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli and his hard-to-believe witness-statement.

Good luck to Guanee.