The property purchase in Melbourne, Australia by a subsidiary of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Mara Incorporated Sdn Bhd is in accordance with procedures, says Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said there was only one agreement on the property purchase, and looking at the facts available, there was no element related to inflated price as reported by the Australian newspaper, The Age.
"And, we made the agreement, there was an agreement, if there are issues raised that the price was inflated, we have the agreement with the seller, the buyer, how much it was sold, the value, how much we paid. So, if there are allegations, if there is evidence, they can complain.
"I would say that the facts which they had communicated were incorrect, based on what is stipulated in the agreement, what are stated in the agreement are correct, unless, there was another agreement," he told reporters after 'iftar' with village security committees (JKK) yesterday.
Mohd Shafie said as explained by MARA chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa, the purchase of the building was at a price of A$22 million; however, the price of the building had today gone up to A$27 million.
"This means that the MARA-owned building is much more valuable than what we paid for so, from what we see, there were no losses, in fact the building is ours, not anyone else's and the profits belong to MARA," he said.
According to him, the purchase of the building was to provide housing for students, as they were aware of the distance for students to attend lectures.
"With that, the MARA management had checked on the valuation by international bodies, to determine if the value of the land or building was reasonable or otherwise," he said.
Mohd Shafie said he would leave the matter to the MARA management, and the focus now was to explain based on facts, not on fiction and assumption, as soon as possible.
"When the information is channelled to the rakyat, they can deduce who is right," he noted.
On the issue of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's alleged involvement on the purchase, he asked: "How can he be associated? He is on the economic council, the chairman, this involves several ministers. All had agreed to approve it, not one person, the process is very thorough, we follow the rules," he said.
In the meantime, Mohd Shafie said he would also cooperate in the investigations, and would not compromise if there were discrepancies.
Australian newspaper, The Age, reported that a top MARA officer, senior official and former politician had allegedly spent millions in government funds to buy an apartment block in Melbourne in a property scam.
It alleged that "a group of super-rich Malaysian officials" had overpaid by A$4.75 million (RM13.8 million) for the apartment block in the city in 2013.
The trio had allegedly "overbid" for the building, called Dudley International House, from A$17.8 million to A$22.5 million (RM65.3 million), with the difference pocketed as bribes back home.
The five-storey building located in suburban East Caulfield currently accomodates 115 MARA students studying at Monash University.
Meanwhile, in his meeting with village security committees, Mohd Shafie said the government, through the 11th Malaysia Plan would put in efforts to enhance infrastructure systems in improving rural economy.
With this approach, the income of rural communities could be improved and to some extent, create a balance between urban and rural areas, he added.
Shafie, who was on a working visit to Kedah yesterday, visited a mineral water processing plant in Kampung Charuk Tualang, Sik and redevelopment area projects in Pengkalan Batu Lintang, Sungai Petani.
Bernama
Sun Jun 28 2015
The purchase of the building in Melbourne in MARA was to provide housing for Malaysian students.
AWANI-RareTV: Kampung bunian di Switzerland
Penulis J.R.R Tolkien menjadikan Lauterbrunnen sebagai latar dan insipirasi kepada penghasilan kampung 'Rivendell'.
Hubungan Klopp-Salah kembali jernih
Klopp dan Salah bertelagah di tepi padang ketika Liverpool seri 2-2 dengan West Ham minggu lalu.
Michelle Yeoh antara 19 penerima Medal Of Freedom
Presiden Amerika Syarikat Joe Biden menganugerahkan Pingat Kebebasan (Medal Of Freedom) kepada 19 penerima di White House, Washington pada Jumaat.
AWANI Pagi: Advokasi rawatan dan pemulihan dadah atas talian
Agensi AntiDadah Kebangsaan (AADK) memperkenalkan kaedah rawatan dan pemulihan secara atas talian, melihat kepada trend penagihan dadah ketika ini. Diskusinya bersama Pengarah Bahagian Rawatan Perubatan & Pemulihan AADK Siti Mariam Mursidan, dalam Awani Pagi 8.30 pagi nanti.
Letupan bom Sungai Golok: Polis mula guna kereta perisai
Kawalan dan rondaan menggunakan kenderaan itu dilaksanakan oleh Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) membabitkan seorang pegawai dan 13 anggota.
AWANI Ringkas: Kenaikan gaji penjawat awam mampu dilaksana
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Guna anak patung Doraemon untuk upacara panggil hujan
Anak patung Doraemon itu turut diarak ke sekitar jalan utama di Khao Khala selepas kawasan tersebut berdepan kemarau berpanjangan.
Isteri dibunuh dan dikerat-kerat, daging ditawar kepada jiran
Saksi memberitahu mangsa dipukul dengan kayu sebelum dibunuh kejam dan tubuhnya dikerat-kerat di tengah jalan.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [4 Mei 2024]
Antara fokus AWANI Pagi bersama Geegee Ahmad & Nursyazwani Saiful Sham
- Sambutan Hari Bomba Sedunia di Tambun, Perak
- Piala Thomas: KBS anjur tayangan perlawanan di skrin gergasi
- Sambutan Hari Bomba Sedunia di Tambun, Perak
- Piala Thomas: KBS anjur tayangan perlawanan di skrin gergasi
Malaysia berpeluang berkembang dengan manfaat kemajuan teknologi AI
Nadella berkata, perbincangan dan dialog mengenai cabaran AI sentiasa berlangsung bagi mencari penyelesaian dan menilai impak penggunaan teknoklogi berkenaan.
Permohonan tajaan MARA dibuka 7 Mei - Asyraf Wajdi
Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) akan membuka permohonan bagi penajaan pengajian peringkat Ijazah Sarjana (Sarjana) dan Ijazah Kedoktoran (PhD) di dalam dan di luar negara pada Selasa ini (7 Mei).
MARA siasat guru didakwa pedofil
MARA akan membuat siasatan menyeluruh terhadap seorang guru yang didakwa terlibat kes pedofilia ke atas murid di sebuah sekolah berasrama penuh.
MARA rancang perluas TVET Tahfiz dengan perbanyakkan kursus jangka pendek
GiatMara dalam hala tuju sehingga 2030 akan memperbanyakkan program TVET Tahfiz yang dijalankan bawah konsep GVTH.
Konsep payung perlu dikembalikan - Asyraf Wajdi
Ia bagi membantu usahawan kecil untuk mempunyai kemahiran dalam menguruskan aliran wang tunai dalam perniagaan masing-masing.
Pentakrifan kategori pendapatan B40, M40, T20 bukan gambaran realiti - Asyraf Wajdi
Asyraf Wajdi berkata isu ini sering dibangkitkan dalam sesi libat urus dan wajar diambil kira sama ada pentakrifan kategori ini masih lagi relevan ataupun tidak.
'Kongres Ekonomi Bumiputera tidak harus dipolemik' - Asyraf Wajdi
Kongres Ekonomi Bumiputera 2024 (KEB 2024) tidak harus dilihat sebagai salah satu langkah untuk menafikan hak bukan bumiputera.
Mara sedia pembiayaan untuk hantar anak, cucu peneroka Felda belajar di luar negara - Zahid
Mara akan menyediakan pembiayaan pendidikan kepada anak dan cucu peneroka Felda bagi tujuan melanjutkan pengajian ke luar negara.
MCMC bantu naik taraf jaringan internet di 342 institusi pendidikan MARA
MCMC bersetuju membantu menaik taraf jaringan rangkaian internet di 342 IPMa bagi meningkatkan keberkesanan pembelajaran secara digital dalam kalangan pelajar dan tenaga pengajar di institusi itu.
'Anak VIP atau VVVIP sekalipun, you touch you go' - Asyraf Wajdi
Asyraf Wajdi berkata pihaknya tidak akan menutup sebarang perilaku yang dilakukan pelajar termasuk anak-anak kenamaan.
Hala tuju TVET MARA perkukuh ekosistem TVET lebih mampan - Rubiah
UniKL terus mengekalkan kadar kebolehpasaran graduannya yang tinggi sebanyak 97.1 peratus berdasarkan laporan kajian pengesanan graduan dijalankan KPT.