KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 ― Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa should have begun the probe into the agency’s Melbourne property deal much sooner as he had known of the inner workings of the transaction since May last year, a the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) said today.

NOW director Rafizi Ramli said an online post by the Consulate-General of Malaysia, Melbourne indicated that Annuar Musa had in May 2014 visited the Dudley House, the property that MARA purchased at a rate allegedly inflated by A$4.75 million(RM13.75 million).

“The significance of this visit is that Annuar Musa, as MARA chairman, and with Datuk Lan Allani, not only visited properties but when through the details of the purchase,” he said, referencing MARA Inc chairman Mohammad Lan Allani who was linked to the controversial property purchase.

“Why didn't he order a probe earlier in 2014 and not only after it was revealed by an Australian daily?” Rafizi queried during a press conference at the NOW headquarters.

According to documents obtained during a recent trip to Australia, Rafizi explained that the four properties purchased by MARA Inc in Melbourne, including the Dudley House, was very clearly “suspicious” as the dealings were done either through offshore companies or through “layers” of companies in various countries.

The Pandan MP added that Annuar should have known that the property purchases by MARA Inc were “problematic” just from the holdings structure.

Two of the four properties purchased by Mara Inc were purchased through six different companies based in Labuan, Singapore and Australia, whereas the Dudley House and another Melbourne property was purchased through an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) received a visit from Australian police last month, where both agencies exchanged information and started a joint investigation, MACC deputy chief commissioner (Operations) Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull said, adding that a few individuals have been called up to have their statements recorded.

Last Tuesday, Australian paper The Age reported that a senior MARA official and two “elite” Malay businessmen were involved in corruption related to the Malaysian government agency’s A$22.5 million purchase of Dudley House in Melbourne.

According to The Age, an eight month-long investigation by Fairfax Media, its parent publishing house, revealed that this group of “super-rich Malaysian officials” had spent government investment funds to push up the price of the student housing block that was built for A$17.8 million, but inflated by A$4.75 million to A$22.5 million.