KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 ― Keen to clear its name, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Inc will rope in the Auditor-General to perform a company-wide “forensic audit” following allegations that several of its officers misappropriated funds through the purchase of properties in Australia.
Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who oversees the government Bumiputera empowerment agency said the initiative was on top of an separate and ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that is being carried out both in Malaysia and in Australia.
“At the same time apart from MACC, Mara will also write a letter to the Auditor-General to carry out a forensic audit on anything that has to do with Mara Inc.
“So believe me we won’t protect anyone because MACC is carrying out an investigation we give them the power to carry out the investigation and at the same time the Auditor-General also has a forensic audit,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat here.
He added that MACC has interviewed just about all the witnesses in Malaysia and will proceed to interview witnesses in Australia next.
“Externally we have handed over the document to MACC and MACC is investigating it. And I’ve been informed by MACC that they’re almost done with the local investigation, after this they will go overseas for interviews.
“They will carry out investigation like a forensic audit,” Ismail added.
Two Mara Inc executives, chairman Datuk Mohamad Lan Allani and chief executive Datuk Abd Halim Rahim, were suspended last July following news of their alleged involvement in the scandal, which reportedly saw the Bumiputera empowerment agency overpaying for properties in Australia.
On July 2, Mara chairman, Tan Sri Annuar Musa, said Mohamad Lan and Abdul Halim will be relieved of their duties pending investigation into the case, but stressed that they have not been found guilty yet.
Annuar said the Mara board found suspicious information about the property deals after perusing the interim report and testimony by Mara Inc officials, which led to the decision to suspend the duo.
He also revealed that the federal agency will appoint international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an audit of Mara Inc’s investments not just in Australia, but the UK as well.
The audit will include the RM65 million Dudley House purchase and other deals exposed by a whistleblower group run by PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.
Apart from the Dudley House purchase in which Mara Inc officials allegedly pocketed about RM13 million in kickbacks, Rafizi raised the alarm over three other property deals made by the Mara subsidiary under similarly dubious circumstances.
He claimed the properties were either purchased through an offshore company or the transaction was wired through three different companies in three different countries.
