KUALA LUMPUR: A star prosecution witness told the Sessions Court today that he had never met Datuk Seri Najib Razak, although he paid RM19 million to businessman G.Gnanaraja to be given to the former prime minister.
Former Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said this when questioned by defence counsel R.S.N Rayer on his statement given to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Zarul was testifying before judge Azura Alwi, in a proceedings to challenge his credibility over his contradictory statements in court on former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng's on-going RM6.34 billion undersea tunnel project trial.
During proceedings, Rayer read out Zarul's statement in which he said that the payment to Gnanaraja totalling RM19 million was all meant for the prime minister (PM).
Rayer: PM means Datuk Seri Najib Razak, right?
Zarul: Yes
Rayer: It was not meant for Lim Guan Eng? You did not mention here.
Zarul: No, I did not mention
Rayer: Because it was meant for Najib, given to Gnanaraja
Zarul: Yes
Rayer: And in the last part you said this. Although I gave the money to Gnanaraja, I have never met with PM until now. You never met Najib Razak?
Zarul: No.
Zarul agreed with Rayer, who had read out his statement which cited that the sum paid to Gnanaraja was from a RM2.3 million loan obtained from Vizione Construction Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Ng Aun Hooi where RM2 million was given to Gnanaraja for Najib while he had used the balance of RM300,000 for his business.
He also agreed that while being investigated by the MACC, he was shown bank statements that on Aug 17,2017, there was a RM2.3 million loan transaction he had taken from Ng and the next day, a cheque withdrawal transaction worth RM2 million was executed and it was meant for Gnanaraja.
He replied in the affirmative when asked by Rayer if there was no mention of Lim. Zarul also said he had paid Gnanaraja RM17 million to close a case he was linked to with the MACC.
Zarul agreed to a question by co-defence counsel Tiara Katrina Fuad that the RM2 million loan from Ng was meant for Gnanaraja and not Lim.
He also agreed that in a meeting with Ng on the loan, he did not mention Lim and said that it was for Gnanaraja.
Tiara: In a previous statement in Shah Alam (court), you focused solely on the case on Gnanaraja. The statement you made is Gnanaraja cheated you about the PM. So the money given to Gnanaraja for the purpose of PM is the subject of your Shah Alam statement. You were not talking about Lim.
Zarul: Yes
The trial continues on April 4. In January this year, Guan Eng, who is the former Penang chief minister, obtained a witness statement to challenge the credibility of Zarul, whose company, CZCSB, was the company awarded the project.
The defence had all this while contended that Zarul had made contradicting statements when testifying as a key witness in Guan Eng's trial.
He is facing four charges of using his position as the then chief minister to solicit gratification to help Zarul's company secure the undersea tunnel project.
He was alleged to have sought a 10 per cent take of the profit to be made by the company from Zarul and accused of receiving RM3.3 million for himself and causing two plots of land belonging to the state government to be disposed of two companies linked to the project.