Who was the intermediary in the RM2 million bribe payments to Lim Guan Eng?

Question

Accepted Answer

G. Gnanaraja Served as the Intermediary for RM2 Million Bribe Payments to Lim Guan Eng

Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli testified that businessman G. Gnanaraja acted as the intermediary for the RM2 million in bribe payments made to former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng. Gnanaraja was introduced to Zarul Ahmad by former minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who described Gnanaraja as a close associate of Datuk Seri Najib Razak. This connection to Najib Razak was a key factor in Zarul Ahmad's decision to utilise Gnanaraja for the transactions.
Gnanaraja's Introduction and Role as Intermediary

Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli recounted that he was introduced to Gnanaraja by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who vouched for Gnanaraja's close ties to Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Relying on this recommendation and Gnanaraja's perceived influence with the prime minister at the time, Zarul Ahmad decided to involve him in facilitating payments to Lim Guan Eng. Zarul Ahmad stated that he felt no reason to doubt Gnanaraja's position given the introduction from Nazri Aziz.
Lim Guan Eng's Suggestion for a Middleman

The prosecution witness further detailed that Lim Guan Eng himself had suggested the use of a middleman to conduct the payments. This was reportedly to avoid any potential monitoring by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Zarul Ahmad then proposed Gnanaraja for this role, citing his known acquaintance with the prime minister, which he believed would provide a degree of immunity and discretion.
Details of the RM2 Million Payments

Between May and August 2017, a total of RM2 million was transferred to Gnanaraja for safekeeping. Zarul Ahmad informed the court that coded language was employed during these exchanges, with terms like 'chocolate' used to refer to the cash and 'Bigboss' for Lim Guan Eng. Zarul Ahmad testified that Lim Guan Eng requested the RM2 million in anticipation of a general election and expressed concerns that Lim might disrupt his projects if the money was not provided. The first RM1 million was handed over during a meeting at Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya, where Zarul Ahmad collected the cash bag from Gnanaraja's residence. The remaining RM1 million was delivered to Lim by Gnanaraja during an early morning meeting at Gnanaraja's home.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

Who was the intermediary in the RM2 million bribe payments to Lim Guan Eng?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends