KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 ― Australian police raided a home in Melbourne today in a corruption and money-laundering investigation on a multi-million ringgit property purchase by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) in the Australian city.
Australian paper The Age reported on its website that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) seized computers and files this morning from a house in Vermont South and said several other properties across Melbourne were being targeted by the authorities.
The police investigation dubbed the AFP’s “Operation Carambola” was launched after The Age reported Tuesday 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 (RM65.3 million) purchase of the 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.
MARA chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa, however, told a press conference yesterday that he thought its subsidiary MARA Inc got a good deal when it paid A$22.5 million for the Melbourne apartment in 2013.
He also explained yesterday that the MARA property investment subsidiary accused of taking a A$4.75 million bribe from the Australia property deal has already been audited for suspected financial mismanagement.
MARA Inc has been instructed to explain in writing the allegation made by The Age within a week from yesterday and the MARA board is expected to deliberate on a decision three days after.
