KUALA LUMPUR: Former Mara Incorporated Sdn Bhd (Mara Inc) chairman Datuk Mohammad Lan Allani was slapped with 22 corruption charges totalling RM20.45 million involving the purchase of properties in Australia nine years ago.
The 65-year old pleaded not guilty to all charges when he was produced in two separate Sessions Court here today.
The charges were read to him separately before Judges Azura Alwi and Rozina Ayob.
The accused is facing 17 charges of receiving 17.45 millions from Optimus Capital Sdn Bhd director Mazrul Haizad Marof in various locations including Solaris Mont Kiara, Maybank Mont Kiara Branch, a restaurant in Bukit Kiara and CIMB Bank in Jalan Sagunting, Kota Kinabalu.
The money was an inducement for him to approve a proposal paper titled 'Proposed Acquisition of a Student Accomodation Building and a Commercial Retails Block known as Dudley International House, 7-14 Dudley Street, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Melbourne, Australia'.
Mohammad Lan was also charged with three counts of soliciting RM3 million bribe from Datuk Ding Pei Chai who was the owner of Marinn Property Pte Ltd and Carlton Pte Ltd near a residence in Bukit Bandaraya and Connoisseurs Lounge & Restaurant, KL Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) between May and June 2013.
The money was an inducement for the accused to facilitate the remaining payment on the stocks purchase between the companies and Mara Inc.
He was charged under under Sections 16(a) and 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which carries a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the bribe or RM1 million, whichever is higher, or imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both.
Meanwhile, the accused was also alleged to have involved himself in money laundering activities by receiving proceeds of unlawful activities amounting RM10 millions on Dec 10, 2012 at the CIMB Bank near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
He was charged under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA).
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib asked the court to impose RM400,000 bail with one surety against Mohammad Lan.
However, counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik who represented the accused applied for the bail to be paid in two instalments.
"My client is not able to produce RM400,000 this morning," he said while pointing out the accused also suffered from heart disease and injured spine.
The bail was allowed to be paid in two instalments, the first RM200,000 to be paid by today and the balance before Feb 16.
The court also ordered the accused to surrender his passport until the disposal of the case.
MACC's probe into the matter followed a Sydney Morning Herald's news report about a Malaysian, residing in Australia, who was accused of bribing a Malaysian official to secure Mara's purchase of the multimillion-dollar apartment complex in Melbourne in 2013.
The Dudley property scandal came to light in 2015 when two Australian newspapers reported that the price of Dudley International House was deliberately inflated by AU$4.75 millions.
The newspapers also reported that millions of government funds were siphoned to purchase the student accommodation facility.
The Australian media report then led to a revelation of other properties said to have also been bought at inflated prices.