PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli stands by his claim which implicated Umno Youth leaders of being involved in Mara's property purchases in Melbourne.

He refused to apologise to Umno youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun who demanded for it.

"I will not apologise," he said firmly when met at the Parliament Square today.

The Pandan MP trained his gun on Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin ( photo ) for defending the three Umno youth leaders.

"I think Khairy, being Oxford educated, should have elevated his politics higher and put the Umno Youth standards higher," said Rafizi.

In the Westminster parliamentary system, the office bearers and politicians are not only law abiding, but they would not have allowed themselves to be associated with people who may have committed criminal wrongdoings, he said.

They will even resign when they are being implicated, Rafizi added.

 

He had claimed that one of those implicated in Mara Inc’s purchase of a student hostel at 746 Swanston Street in Melbourne had connections with Umno youth’s leadership.

This property was among four properties purchased by Mara at an inflated price.

Alleged wrongdoings in the purchase

In making the accusation, Rafizi had highlighted that Khairul is the chairperson of Biosis Group Bhd, in which one of the directors also serve on the board of the company that holds the property.

The director is one of two directors who serve in the Mara Inc subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), despite being supposedly unaffiliated to Mara.

Australian authorities are probing claims by Australian newspaper The Age that there were kickbacks involved one of the property purchases, while Rafizi had alleged wrongdoings in the purchase of the other three properties as well.

 

Khairy claimed it was wrong of Rafizi to assume that Khairul is guilty by association.

Khairul said he is not involved in the matter in any way.

"It is a slander and I won't hesitate to take action if he does not apologise or stop the lies," Khairul told reporters at a function in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.