Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) should conduct an emergency meeting to demand both its officials to cough up A$4.75 million (RM13.8 million) taken from the Dudley International House deal in Melbourne.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said Mara Inc chairman Mohammad Lan Allani and Mara Inc's chief executive officer Halim Rahim should repay the kickbacks .

Mara chairman Annuar Musa has given Mara Inc, its subsidiary which purchased the A$22.5 million (RM65 million) apartment block, seven days to submit a written report.

The Umno veteran said the agency will meet in 14 days to scrutinise the report.

In a press statement today, Lim ( photo ) compared the efficiency of Malaysia and Australia in handling the Mara scandal.

The Australian Federal Police have launched Operation Carambola with raids in Melbourne as part of effort to clampdown international bribery and money-laundering, he said.

"They seized computers and files from a home in Vermont South with several other properties targeted across Melbourne," said Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP.

"But it is business as usual in Mara back in Malaysia, although Malaysia has been thrust into the global stage with an international corruption scandal involving a key government statutory body and public servants," he said.

Back home, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had ordered an investigation into the matter.

"Mara and the Malaysian government cannot continue to adopt a tidak-apa (lackadaisical) attitude without a major operation of its own to get to the bottom of the Mara Inc property scams in Australia," he said.

Onus is on Annuar to prove

Annuar ( photo ) claimed yesterday that the controversial Melbourne real estate deal was made before he was appointed as the chairman in July 2013 and that the purchase was discussed in 2012 and approved by the Mara council on Feb 21, 2013.

"The onus is on Annuar to prove his claim that he had absolutely no knowledge about the Mara Inc property scams after he became the chairman," he emphasised.

The DAP veteran then asked if Annuar had knowlegde about three other properties bought by Mara Inc in Australia.

The three properties are an A$22.5 million (RM65 million) apartment block at Swanston Street, an office tower on Exhibition Street which cost A$22 million (RM64 million) and a Queen Street property for A$20 million (RM58 million).

"When were the deals for these properties finalised? Can Annuar give an assurance that the purchase of these properties were honest, above-board and not tainted by hanky-panky crime like the Dudley House deal?" he asked.

Lim then pointed out that Shafie Apdal ( photo ), who was appointed as the Rural and Regional Development Minister since April 10, 2009, has been silent on the issue.

"Was he completely in the dark about the Mara Inc property acquisition hanky-panky in Australia?

"If Annuar is right that the decisions on the Mara Inc property scams in Australia were decided before his time, then his predecessor must speak up," he said.

Lim also asked why the Mara chairman before Annuar, the Education and Higher Learning Minister II Idris Jusoh, is so silent.

He wants to know whether Malaysians can expect the cabinet to announce the sacking of Annuar as Mara chairman after its meeting today.

With this, the government can demonstrate to Malaysians and the whole world that it is taking the matter seriously, he noted.