Undersea tunnel probe confirmed

Six investigation papers opened by MACC on Penang project since 2017

PETALING JAYA: The anti-graft agency has confirmed opening six investigation papers on the Penang undersea tunnel project.

According to the Malaysian AntiCorruption Agency (MACC), the first investigation paper was opened in July 2017 while five more were launched in January last year.

It said a total of five investigation papers were completed and referred to the DPP.

The MACC said three investigation papers were returned to the MACC for further investigation.

“Two are currently being looked into by the DPP,” it said, adding that the other was still under MACC investigation.

It was reported that MACC had lodged a police report over leaked investigation papers in relation to the case involving the Penang undersea tunnel project.

Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was alleged to have made an expose based on the leaked documents.

In several articles posted over the past week, the blogger alleged that several Penang state exco members were implicated in the MACC’s probe into the project.

The proposed 7.2km undersea tunnel is part of a RM6.3bil project, which also includes three paired roads.

In a separate statement, Consortium Zenith Construction (CZC) Sdn Bhd senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli denied the bribery claims, saying that the blog posts were “pure fiction and clearly concocted to deceive and defame me, my company and the Penang state government”.

“I have been once remanded for 11 days by the MACC for what was billed as an extensive investigation into the project. Besides me, my entire company was called for questioning, spending a total of 40 days in and out of the MACC office, cooperating with every aspect being investigated. This includes close scrutiny of our accounts,” he said.

He said the MACC had even hired external consultants to see if the firm was fair in its pricing.

“My primary goal is to put all my resources into this project as soon as possible so we can kick off with what will be ultimately useful for the people of Penang,” he added.

Besides me, my entire company was called for questioning.

Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli