The contract of Mara Inc chief executive officer Abdul Halim Rahim, who was suspended after the property scandal in Australia, was not renewed after his services ended last month, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The contract of its chairperson, Mohammad Lan Allani, whose tenure ends on March 2016, was terminated on Oct 1, he said.

"We have new candidates for the chairperson and CEO posts," Ismail Sabri told journalists at the Parliament cafe today.

According to him, Mara's board will meet on Nov 8 to endorse the new appointments for two years.

He added that Mara did not need to compensate Lan Allani as he was not appointed by contract, but via a political appointment.

He denied the duo was removed as they had been implicated in Mara's property kickback scandal in Australia.

When asked if they will be reinstated if the probe conducted by the MACC cleared them, he said: "We will see, we cannot decide now."

Top Mara officials and a former politician were alleged to have spent RM65 million of public funds to purchase an apartment block in Melbourne, Australia, overpaying by RM13.7 million to allow for kickbacks back home, Australian newspaper The Age reported .

The duo was suspended temporarily after the scandal broke out.

According to Ismail Sabri, the suspensions, which were proposed by an internal audit, was a normal practice.

"If they were allowed to remain in their offices, then they (would have had access) to all the files and documents," he said.