PETALING JAYA: Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge related to the RM6.3bil Penang undersea tunnel project at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today.
Lim, also the former chief minister of Penang (2008-2018), was accused of requesting 10% of the profits from Datuk Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli as a bribe in order to get the contract for the project.
Zarul is the senior executive director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC), the firm which was awarded the project.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) charged Lim under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a fine up to five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, and imprisonment not exceeding 20 years.
Lim arrived from Putrajaya where he spent the night at the MACC headquarters. He was arrested after being quizzed for more than an hour yesterday.
Following this, the MACC also said Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, would be charged under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 at the Sessions Court in Penang on Aug 10 and Aug 11.
A crowd of approximately 100-150 supporters was seen outside the court, including many elected representatives from DAP and PKR.
Lim is being represented by lawyers Gobind Singh Deo, Ramkarpal Singh and RSN Rayer, while the prosecution team is headed by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.
Wan Shaharuddin requested that bail be set at RM2mil, saying that corruption is a cancer in society, but Gobind requested a lower bail, saying his client will cooperate with the court and will attend all proceedings.
Judge Azura Alwi set bail at RM1mil in two sureties, and ordered Lim to surrender his passport to the court.
