Mara hands documents related to Melbourne building to MACC

Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman, Tan Sri Annuar Musa today handed over several documents related to the purchase of a building in Melbourne, Australia by its subsidiary company, Mara Incorporated Sdn Bhd, to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC).

He was present at the MACC headquarters, here, at 12.10pm and handed over the documents to the commission's director of Investigations, Datuk Mohd Jamidan Abdullah, to assist the investigation into the case (alleged scam).

"We have asked that this matter be given priority and urgency, and we have informed that Mara would give its full cooperation to the MACC," he said when approached by reporters after he met the MACC official.

Annuar said Mara would appoint auditors from outside the country to add to the internal auditing being conducted, besides the investigation by the MACC.

"Internal auditing alone is insufficient...although the MACC carries out its tasks according to the stipulated methods and regulations, from our point, we should also look at our audit management for enhancement in the future," he said.

Asked whether Mara had identified the mastermind behind the case, Annuar only said, "more or less."

Asked on the action to be taken against those involved in the alleged scam, he said this would depend on the jurisdiction of Rural and Regional Development Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

However, he said, the matter would be discussed at the Mara Council meeting on July 1.

On his statement relating to the approval for the property purchase in Melbourne which had been twisted by some media, Annuar said Prime Minister Datuk Serio Najib Tun Razak did not, on May 10, approve the purchase.

"Mara and the ministry then appealed to the National Economic Council for the matter to be discussed as it involved an overseas loan and (the council) y approved only 3O per cent in Mara funds to be used for the purchase. The remainder was borrowed from a foreign bank," he explained.