PAC to call up Mara on overpriced property deals

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will call up the management of Majlis Amanah Rakyat to explain their involvement in overpriced property deals in Melbourne, Australia.
Its chairman, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the PAC will write to the government agency soon and summon them to appear before the committee.
He was commenting on a front page report in theSun today that Australian police were investigating several Malaysian personalities involved in overpriced property deals in Melbourne.
The report said a group of Malaysian officials had spent funds from a government agency to purchase a Melbourne apartment block – the Dudley House apartments for A$22.5 million (RM65.4 milion) which had been valued at RM51.7 million.
Mara had allegedly purchased the property in 2013.
The report also said that those involved had allegedly siphoned the extra RM13.8 million.
According to property records and confidential e-mails, the Malaysians had demanded the RM13.8 million bribe for the purchase.
The bribes were reportedly paid via sham invoices issued to the Australian developers from Malaysian companies.
Three companies based in Damansara and Bukit Kiara had sent invoices purportedly for professional advice and consultancy and advisory fees.
Investigations later revealed that these were for non-existent services.
"We will call the Mara management as soon as possible," added Nur Jazlan when contacted.
Mara chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa said Mara would issue a statement today regarding the report which was also carried by Australian daily, The Age.
He said they did not want to make any statement today and will provide all relevant information at the press conference.
Meanwhile, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel said that it is “shocked” over yet another scandal involving Malaysian officials.
“Such reports if it goes unanswered or unrefuted, further tarnishes the already deteriorating reputation of the country in the eyes of the world,” she said in a statement.