Mara to address Melbourne property deal allegations Wednesday

PETALING JAYA: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) will hold a press conference on Wednesday to address allegations of corruption with regard to a property deal in Melbourne, Australia.

"Mara will hold an official press conference tomorrow (Wednesday)," chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa (pic) told The Star Online in an SMS on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mara officials declined to comment on the issue raised in Australian daily The Age, saying that it was currently under investigation.

The daily reported that Malaysians linked to Mara overpaid developers of Dudley International House by A$4.75mil (RM13.8mil) for a five-storey apartment block in the city in 2013.

The asking price was A$22.5mil (RM65.3mil).

In the article published on Tuesday, The Age reported that corporate records had revealed the firms that issued sham invoices were “closely linked to several powerful Malaysian figures, including a top Mara official”.

“The liquidation proceedings lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court after John Bond and Pitcher Partners’ intervention provide further evidence that the A$4.75mil was paid as bribes,” wrote The Age.

It quoted Dudley International House developer Chris Dimitriou who, when questioned on allegations of kickbacks in court, replied; “To the best of my knowledge, that A$4.8mil went to Malaysian parties”.

The article also quoted another developer, Peter Mills, who said he was not told that the deal involved elements of corruption, and would not have gone along with it if he knew.

The report further alleged that “Malaysian officials from Mara have also used other shelf companies in Singapore, which is also regarded as a tax haven, to purchase properties in Queens Street and Exhibition Street in Melbourne’s Central Business District for around A$40mil (RM115mil)

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Mara’s Melbourne property deal comes under scrutiny