Judge Azura Alwi allowed the defence to gain access to 31 pages of a statement given in 2018 by Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, in connection with a cheating case involving another potential witness, G Gnanaraja, for use in the impeachment proceedings.

Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said the prosecution would hand over the document to Lim’s lawyers by Jan 17.

The defence claims Zarul gave conflicting statements to MACC over a purported RM2 million payment which he is alleged to have made.

Last year, Zarul testified that he had in 2017 paid out a total of RM4 million to Lim and then prime minister Najib Razak.

He claimed that the payment to Lim formed part of the kickbacks the former chief minister received in connection with the tunnel project.

Zarul also claimed the remaining sum of RM2 million was intended for Najib, who he believed would be able to influence MACC to close the investigations on him.

Lim is standing trial on charges of using his position to ask Zarul for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project, and accepting RM3.3 million from the businessman.

He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land to two companies.

Lim’s lawyer Haijan Omar told the court that the defence needed time to look into Zarul’s statement and prepare for the impeachment proceedings, as former lead counsel Gobind Singh Deo was no longer attached to the legal team.

He said the defence would be ready for the impeachment proceedings by next month.

The hearing continues on Feb 26 to 27.