KUALA LUMPUR: Another key witness in Lim Guan Eng's corruption trial today confirmed that the owner of the company awarded the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project had confessed to him about giving bribes to the former Penang chief minister.
Ibrahim Sahari, who was the former director of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, also corroborated evidence that the company had produced fake payment vouchers and invoices to cover the money trail.
He admitted that such action was wrong but said that it was done in the best interest of the company.
The 58-year old's testimony exposing such transactions prompted Lim's lead counsel Gobind Singh Deo to fire some hard-hitting questions during cross examination but Ibrahim maintained his stand that it was done in the best interest of the company.
Gobind started his questioning by asking Ibrahim about what had been done with the fake documents.
Gobind: You must surely know that forging documents is wrong
Ibrahim: Yes
Gobind: Especially producing fake invoices and payment vouchers. Faking the company accounts...
Ibrahim: Yes
Gobind: Even though you knew it was wrong, you still went ahead and did it. You know it is a criminal offence?
Ibrahim: Yes
Gobind then went on to accuse Ibrahim of being a master fabricator but this was dismissed by the witness.
"I may be a fabricator, but not a master fabricator," he said, much to the amusement of everyone in court.
Earlier, Ibrahim had testified that the company owner, Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli had confessed to him about giving bribes to Lim.
He said Zarul told him about it after the latter was detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) sometime in January 2018.
However, Ibrahim said he did not know how much was given and other details concerning the payments.
Ibrahim's testimony today corroborates what another company top official - senior vice president Azli Adam, told the court yesterday.
It was reported that Azli - who used to be in charge of the company accounts, had revealed how bribe money given to Lim on numerous occasions was covered up using fake invoices and payment vouchers to cover the money trail.
He had outlined the chronology of events and modus operandi adopted by the company in the preparation of fake invoices and payment vouchers for the bribe money that was given to Lim.
Azli and Ibrahim's testimony comes in the wake of Zarul's evidence prior to this that he had personally handed bribes to Lim after his company was awarded the tunnel project.
Lim's lawyers are expected to cross examine Zarul when the trial resumes on July 25.
Lim is facing four charges of using his position as the then chief minister to solicit gratification to help Zarul's company secure the tunnel project.
He is alleged to have sought 10 percent of the profit to be made by the company from Zarul.
He is also accused of receiving RM3.3 million for himself and causing two plots of land belonging to the state government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the tunnel project.