KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20): Majlis Amanah Rakyat's (Mara) investment arm, Mara Inc, had paid A$64.4 million in 2012 to acquire the entire interest in Thrushcross Land Holdings Ltd, which owns two properties in Melbourne, Australia, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman.

"The acquisition of Thrushcross was made to obtain the ownership of Dudley International House and 746 Swanston Street (in Melbourne)," Mohd Arif said in a written reply to Parliamentary questions from Seputeh Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok today.

Kok had asked the minister to state the amount paid by Mara Inc to acquire the stake in Thruschcross, which was incorporated in British Virgin Islands, as well as to name the lawyer, accountant and valuer appointed by Mara and Mara Inc in Australia and Malaysia to handle the acquisition.

To this, Mohd Arif said Tetuan Abdul Malik & Lawrence Tan and Deloitte Touche Financial Advisory Services Pte Ltd were appointed to assist with the filing and accounting processes respectively.

Raine & Horne International Zaki & Partners Sdn Bhd was appointed as valuer of the acquisition, he added.

"The acquisition was done in accordance to the procurement regulations of the government, of which approval must be obtained at the level of the board of directors, Mara Investment Panel, members of Mara Council and the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, as well as the approval from the Ministry of Finance," Mohd Arif said.

In June, Australian newspaper The Age had reported that a high ranking Mara official, a senior official of the government-linked company and a former politician, had spent millions of government funds to buy an apartment block in Melbourne and had received kickbacks involving the purchase.

Dudley International House was bought by Mara Inc for RM63.5 million, although it was valued at RM51 million at the time of purchase. The difference, it said, was pocketed as kickbacks for senior Mara officials.

The paper also reported that the building developers had issued a fake invoice which included details like consultancy and advice services from the Malaysian firm.

Following the report, Mara chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa had said in an interview that the purchase was approved by the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

PKR MP Rafizi Ramli, who has been following the issue closely, said today that he will disclose some court documents on the deal on Thursday (Oct 22).