Why Mara chairman remains, but executives removed over land deal, asks PKR

PKR's Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli says many questions remain unanswered over the controversial land deals in Australia by Mara Inc, and the removal of two executives is a 'slightest' action with no further resolution. – The Malaysian Insider pic, November 6, 2015.PKR today demanded to know why Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa's contract was renewed despite scandals involving the agency's property purchases in Australia.

This comes after Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced in Parliament yesterday that the contracts of Mara Inc's chairman Datuk Mohammad Lan Allani and CEO Datuk Abdul Halim Rahim were not renewed at the end of their temporary suspension.

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli also asked why former Mara chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh was not called in for questioning or being investigated as the controversial overseas property purchases took place during his tenure.

"As the minister in charge, Ismail Sabri needs to explain to the people why Annuar is still appointed as the Mara chairman for the new term when the revelations to date had shown he knew about the purchases but took no action to resolve it, until this wasexposed by me and the Australian media in the middle of this year," he said in a statement today.

Ismail Sabri said yesterday that Lan and Halim were suspended in July after claims that Mara Inc had overpaid for several properties it purchased in Melbourne between 2012 and 2013.

He added that an internal audit commissioned by Mara recommended that the services of the duo not be extended at the end of their contracts following the suspension.

Rafizi said today while the decision to not extend the two executives contracts was correct, he nevertheless noted that it was the "slightest" action taken and does not resolve anything.

"What is most important is to ensure those responsible, the ones from Mara who approved the purchases as well as politicians or businessmen who brokered the deal, need to be brought to justice so that they can be punished for misappropriating public funds," he said.

The Pandan MP said there are still unanswered questions regarding this, including who in Mara is responsible for approving the purchases and the identities of politicians and businessmen who brokered the deals.

He also wanted to know who gained the most from these transactions.

"The people will continue to assume that this scandal will be buried as it is and those responsible will not have to face justice.

"This scandal cannot be closed by the termination of two Mara officers," Rafizi said,  pledging to continue to raise this issue.

Rafizi had previously said Mara had overpaid for the four properties by a total of RM130 million.

The controversy first broke out regarding the purchase of Dudley International House, which was reported by Australian paper The Age.

- TMI