KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Umno’s Datuk Khairul Azwan Harun demanded today an apology from a PKR-tied organisation that had named him in a contentious link to controversial Australian property purchase by a unit of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).

The ruling party wing’s deputy chief promised to take action unless the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) said sorry and refrained from implicating him in its scrutiny of the dubious properties, now the subject of an on-going audit and investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

“It is a slander and I won’t hesitate to take action if he does not apologise or stop the lies,” he was quoted by news portal Malaysiakini as telling reporters at an event here this evening.

Earlier today, NOW executive director Rafizi Ramli named Khairul in an attempt to connect the dots over the purchase of a Melbourne property signed by two non-MARA officials to Umno Youth.

The PKR vice-president told a news conference that the 746 Swanston Street purchase agreement was signed by Erwan Azizi and Izmir Abdul Hamid as directors of the purchasing entity, Thrushcross Land Holdings.

Thrushcross is now wholly-owned by MARA Inc, but Rafizi claimed the registration was only made after the transaction was carried out instead of prior to it.

Referencing a report from business daily The Edge from February, Rafizi said Erwan was listed as a non-executive director at Biosis Group Berhad, and added that the company was chaired by Khairul Azwan, the Umno Youth deputy chief.

Rafizi also claimed Erwan was a shareholder at Optimus Capital Sdn Bhd in addition to Mazrul Haizad Maarof, who he said is the brother-in-law to Umno Youth executive council member Dazma Shah Daud.

“There is a leakage of RM63 million that needs to be answered for by the individuals I’ve named today... And whether or not they have any Umno Youth positions or individuals close to them,” the opposition MP said during the news conference.

“Erwan Azizi and Izmir Abdul Hamid are business partners and have business interests with Umno and Umno Youth leadership,” he claimed.

Thrushcross Land Holdings, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, also lists MARA Inc chairman Datuk Mohammad Lan Allani and MARA Inc chief executive Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahim as directors.

NOW has been scrutinising MARA Inc’s Melbourne purchases since Australian daily The Age ran a story on the firm’s Dudley International House buy that exposed links between top MARA officials and certain businessmen connected to the ruling Barisan Nasional.

According to the Australian daily’s exposé, MARA Inc had allegedly overpaid A$4.75mil (RM13.8 million) for Dudley House, which was purportedly used as a form of kickbacks.

Last Tuesday, NOW alleged that apart from Dudley House, which MARA Inc reportedly bought for RM67.2 million, the firm also bought three other properties – 746 Swanston Street for RM138.6 million, 333 Exhibition Street for RM99.2 million and 51 Queens Street for RM70.4 million.

The total sum paid for all four properties was RM375.4 million, the oversight body revealed.

Rafizi said last week that the four property purchases were suspicious as they were either bought through an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands or wired through three different companies in three different countries.