Headline ` EXCO NOT TOLD ABOUT MEETING’ MediaTitle Date 17 Aug 2021 Language English Circulation 36,278 Readership 108,834 Section Local News Page No 9 ArticleSize 324 cm² Journalist Sharanjit Singh PR Value RM 33,506

UNDERSEA TUNNEL PROJECT ‘PENANG EXCO NOT TOLD ABOUT MEETING’

Guan Eng didn’t tell them he had met company boss about project before they were informed about it, court told

SHARANJIT SINGH Guan Eng’s lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, asked Hock Seng if there was news@ns t.com.my anything sinister about the in- struction givenby his client to ORMERPenang chief call Zarul. minister Lim Guan Eng To this, Hock Seng said he did did notinform exe cutive not feel so as exco members were Fcouncil (exco) members constantly asked to look into mat- that he had met the owner of a ters involving their portfolios. private company to discuss the Hock Seng,who is the third undersea tunnel projectbefore prosecution witness, earlier re - they were briefedabout it, the vealed how a plot of land r e- Sessions Court heard yesterday. served for aTNB substation was Former exco member Datuk given to Consortium Zenith Lim Hock Seng said his former BUCG (CZBUCG), even though bossdid notinform them ab out the grant had been issued to the meeting that had taken place Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB). at Shangri-La Hotel. He said Guan Eng ordered the He said all Guan state Land and Mines Eng told them wa s Department to ex- that a private compa- change the plot of ny was interestedin land, identified as Lot exploring the project 713, after CZBUCG to construct an un- asked for it. dersea tunnelcon- “CZBUCG wanted necting the island to the entire 5.7 acres of the mainland. Lot 713, but a portion However, nothing of it wasreserved for was mentioned about the TNB substation, the meeting at the ho- so the stategovern- te l , where Guan Eng ment rejected it. had discussed the “However, Guan tunnel project with Datuk Lim Hock Eng later informed ex- Consortium Zenith S eng co members that he Construction manag- had met CZBUCG of-of- ing director DatukZarul Ahmad ficials on July 29, 2013,and they Mohd Zulkefli. had agreed to take another plot, Hock Seng, who was in charge Lot 702, and give up aportion of of the statepublic works, public Lot 713 for the TNB substation.” utilitiesand transportation af- It was reported that the piece of fairsportfolio,said GuanEng lat- prime land was givento the com- er askedhim to get in touch with pany after it conducted afeasi- Zarul to manage things. bility studyfor the RM6.3 billion “He gave me Zarul’s phone project. number and asked me to get in Guan Eng, who is DAP secre- touch with the latter to manage tary-general, isaccused ofsolic- the project,”he said when tes- iting a 10 percent cut in profits tifying in Guan Eng’s corruption from the tunnel project from Zarul trial. and seeking RM3.3 million in kick- Hock Seng was replying to a backs to appoint Zarul’s company question by deputy public pros- to undertake the project. ecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan He alsofaces twocounts of dis- Ladin, who wanted toknowifthe honestly misappropriating exco was awarethat Guan Eng RM208.7 million worthofstate had met and spoken with Z arul land to two companies. about the project before they The trial beforeSessions Court were informed about it. judge Azura Alwi continues to- During cross-examination, m o r row.