Nov 16 fixed for decision on Guan Eng’s bid to move undersea tunnel graft case to High Court

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): The Court of Appeal (CoA) has fixed Nov 16 to deliver its decision on former Penang chief minister and Bagan Member of Parliament (MP) Lim Guan Eng’s appeal to transfer his undersea tunnel graft trial from the Sessions Court to the High Court.

On Oct 27, the three-member CoA bench led by Justice Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin reserved its judgement on the appeal as more time was required to make a decision.

This followed submissions from both Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who led the prosecution, and Guan Eng’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo.

The other members of the bench were Justices Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Hashim Hamzah.

On July 12, the High Court dismissed the former Penang chief minister’s application to transfer his undersea tunnel graft trial from the Sessions Court to the High Court.

On Aug 7 last year, Guan Eng was charged in his capacity as the then chief minister of Penang to have solicited gratification to help Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd secure the undersea tunnel project.

He is alleged to have sought 10% of the profit to be made by the company from its senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli.

Subsequently on Aug 10, Guan Eng was charged in the Butterworth Sessions Court with using his position as the then chief minister of Penang to receive RM3.3 million in gratification for himself as an inducement for helping the company to secure the project valued at RM6.3 billion.

On Sept 11, the Bagan MP was charged in the same court with two counts of causing two plots of land belonging to the Penang government worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to two companies linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.

Guan Eng claimed trial to all four charges.

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