Perth migration deal: Malaysian firm under fire

PETALING JAYA: The state government of Western Australia (WA) has come under criticism for being involved with a Malaysian company that is promoting permanent residence in return for a property investment of A$1.5 million (MR4.53mil).

The company held migration seminars in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang at which people were encouraged to seek permanent residence in Australia by investing in a Perth property company.

The Sunday Times newspaper in Perth quoted a WA government official as saying “The ad is also wrong to imply that permanent residency in Australia can be obtained by simply investing $1.5m into a property group.”

The report noted that the WA government had told the Malaysian company, Kitson Migration Advisory (Kitson), to stop using the state government logos on its advertisements, one of which was published in the business section of The Star on June 10.

Despite the notice, the WA government’s business migration manager Bruno Delfante made a presentation at the seminars, the report said. He had also made presentations at other seminars in Singapore and Malaysia, a state minister told the paper.

The advertisement had mentioned “a collaboration” between the WA Government, Perth developers Yaran Property Group (Yaran) and Kitson, and encouraged Malaysians to invest A$1.5m in Yaran in order “to apply (for) permanent residency!”

Quoting the advert, the report said the seminar was “proudly presented” by Delfante, on behalf of the WA Government, and Yaran director Faryar Gorjy.

It also promoted a Yaran development, and dates and locations of the seminars were listed on the official website for the WA Government’s Small Business Development Corporation.

The corporation’s commissioner, David Eaton, responded to the Sunday Times saying the state government logos had been used without permission and that the advert was “wrong and misleading on several levels”.

Eaton said there were “complex and stringent requirements” on business-related visas, and character and personal financial checks were carried out by the federal Immigration.

Small Business Minister Sean L’Estrange was quoted as saying Kitson had apologised for the “inappropriate and misleading” advert and his department would not take further action.

WA opposition politicians have called for an independent investigation into the affair and that the state should not be party to seminars that lured investment in private companies under the guise of obtaining permanent residence.

Kitson told the newspaper that the WA Government logos had been “mistakenly included”, while Yaran’s Gorjy said his company did not have a relationship with the WA Government, the small business corporation or Delfante.

The Sunday Times said Delfante and Gorjy had also attended a Kitson seminar in March last year, when Delafante made a six-day trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia at taxpayers’ expense.

FMT is attempting to seek comment from Kitson officials.