GEORGE TOWN: The developer of the Penang undersea tunnel project claims it was duped into paying two individuals RM22mil to stop graft investigations.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli (pic) said they were told that action would be taken against them if they did not pay.
“They (the duo) claimed to be the powers that be. Eventually, we found out it was not true. We were conned,” he said.
He said the company had previously followed all the rules.
“But at that particular period of time, we didn’t know what was the rule of law. It’s not bribery but the act was akin to putting a gun to my head,” he said.
Zarul Ahmad said he could not disclose the details because the case was still being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
“I believe soon they will come out with something pertaining to those issues,” he said.
Zarul Ahmad said things were different now after the outcome of GE14 on May 9.
“On May 10, I opened my window and I took a nice breath of fresh air and it was wonderful.
“Last time, I couldn’t answer certain things but now, I can because there is freedom of speech. I know I won’t get into trouble for making statements that I want to make,” he said at a hotel here yesterday.
In March, a 37-year-old Datuk Seri was picked up by MACC for allegedly receiving RM19mil from CZC to “help settle” investigations into the controversial RM6.3bil mega project comprising an undersea tunnel and three highways.
Former chief minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government was shocked at the news that CZC allegedly paid RM19mil to an unnamed businessman and RM3mil to an MP.
Zarul Ahmad said they had provided an explanation about the incident which was accepted by the Penang government two weeks ago.
CZC, the special purpose vehicle of the Penang project, had come under the spotlight after its two senior directors were picked up to assist in MACC investigations over alleged corruption claims.
MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had raised numerous concerns about the project, including why the special purpose vehicle did not meet the RM381mil minimum paid-up capital requirement during the tender process.
Zarul Ahmad said they were adopting the just-in-time (JiT) philosophy, meaning the paid-up capital would only be increased when necessary.
He said 90% of the financing was done through the banks and they did not want to incur interests for nothing.
“That is the only way to reduce our cost and maximise returns.
“Why should we increase our paid-up capital to RM300mil or 400mil when we are only using a certain amount,” he said.
By Tan Sin Chow and Saran Yeoh The Star
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