Former Mara Inc chairman to be charged with 22 counts of corruption on Friday

KUALA LUMPUR: A former chairman of Mara Incorporated (Mara Inc) with the title "Datuk" will be charged with 22 corruption charges at the Kuala Lumpur Corruption Sessions Court this Friday.

MACC Chief Commissioner, Datuk Seri Azam Baki, who confirmed the matter informed that the individual was detained at the MACC Headquarters, this afternoon.

"The prosecution is under Section 16 (a), 17 (a) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and Section 2 (4) of the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act 2010.

"The 65-year-old grandfather is said to have received a bribe of RM33.45 million from the purchase of a property in Australia by Mara Inc," he said in a statement issued by the MACC today.

The MACC's investigation into the scandal began after an expose by The Sydney Morning Herald portal.

The portal reported that a Malaysian individual living in Australia had been charged with bribing a foreign official and four other false account charges related to the sale of a Dudley House student accommodation block in Melbourne to Mara Inc.