The imbroglio in Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) continues with its suspended chairperson Annuar Musa claiming that the emergency board meeting which decided on his position this morning was fast-tracked with the consent of Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Annuar said the council was supposed to meet on Feb 14, and he had planned to discuss matters concerning his post then.

"However, it seems the minister had given consent for a special meeting to be held earlier, without my presence," Annuar said in a Facebook posting.

The parts "the minister had given consent for a special meeting" was written in capital letters.

The suspension is reportedly to facilitate investigations into allegations that PMB and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) sponsored the Kelantan football team, which is linked to Annuar.

Explain to audit committee

Ismail, in a statement late this afternoon, said Annuar had not been called to the meeting because the agenda was on the latter's conduct.

"Further, he was not called to give an explanation because the board meeting was of the view that it would be better for him to give an explanation to the audit committee later," he said.

Earlier today, Ismail had told Malaysiakini that he had been informed that a meeting would be held, but did not know what was on the agenda.

Annuar, who is also Ketereh MP, is currently in New Zealand on Mara-related business.

This morning, the board, in an emergency meeting at the Mara headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, suspended Annuar as its chairperson, with immediate effect.

Annuar was also suspended as chairperson of Pelaburan Mara Bhd (PMB).

Annuar said he accepted the move with an "open heart" and that he would comment further on the matter next week.

He also said that a meeting with the University of Auckland's vice-chancellor has been cancelled following his suspension.

Mara board member Yusof Yacob said he was unsure how long the probe would take.

"We don't know how long the investigations will take. We can't only look at what has been said.

"We suspended (Annuar) so that the investigation can be free from his influence or interference," Yusof said.

This allegation was first made by Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on Jan 12.

Tunku Ismail also revealed several documents detailing the said transactions and questioned if the sponsorship was the reason why UniKL was forced to reduce scholarships for its students by RM700 million last year.

Annuar, who is a former Kelantan Football Association (Kafa) president, has denied the allegations.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman - who lodged a police report on the matter - said Annuar’s suspension vindicated his action.

A former Mara scholar, Syed Saddiq also said he would defend the institution from "crooks".

"My whole familiy is where we are today because of Mara. We will defend it from crooks until our final breath," he said.