G Gnanaraja acknowledged that he only met Lim twice in August 2017.

He said Lim had asked him to set up a company and open a bank account to receive payments in relation to the project.

The witness said he had never met or spoken to Lim prior to that.

“I don’t have his number,” Gnanaraja said, adding that he never met Lim again after August 2017.

Lawyer Ramkarpal Singh asked why Gnanaraja would accede to such a request from someone he did not know well.

“You only met him twice, and you claimed that he asked you to open an account for corrupt purposes. Do you agree that you used Bumi Muhibah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd for purposes of fraud?” asked Ramkarpal.

Gnanaraja however objected to the lawyer’s use of the word “fraud”.

“For me, I was serving the chief minister. I had Bumi Muhibah at the back of my mind,” he added.

Bankrupt

Gnanaraja also admitted that he was declared bankrupt by the Shah Alam High Court in December last year.

He said a bankruptcy order was entered against him after he failed to honour the payment of RM5.3 million in legal fees to his solicitors, Dennis, Nik and Wong.

The firm had represented Gnanaraja in his cheating case. However, the businessman did not settle his legal fees, prompting the lawyers to file a suit against him.

Asked by Ramkarpal if he had taken steps to set aside the bankruptcy order, Gnanaraja said his lawyers were handling the matter.

“I hope you pay them this time,” Ramkarpal said in response.

The hearing continues before judge Azura Alwi on Oct 14.

Lim is accused of using his position as then Penang chief minister to solicit a 10% share of profits from the undersea tunnel project and receiving RM3.3 million in bribes from businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli.

He also faces two charges of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land.