When Tony McGrane flew into Singapore this week, on his way home from an overseas holiday, he discovered that Dubbo was big news thousands of kilometres away from his home town.
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"The taxi driver knew about Dubbo, the man at the hotel knew about Dubbo - just about everyone I bumped into knew about Dubbo," the State MP said.
It's all down to Jim Foo, the fugitive businessman who for two years was the frontman for the $55 million Pioneer Spirit Development tourist project in Dubbo.
The past caught up with Mr Foo this week. On Wednesday morning the Singapore national, who has overstayed his visa to Australia by nine years, gave himself up to authorities.
During the past fortnight Jim Foo has been front-page news in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
In Australia, the media interest has been his links with politicians from the Prime Minister down. In Asia it has been about dubious business dealings before coming to Australia.
Mr Foo has been photographed with John Howard, deputy prime minister John Anderson, immigration minister Philip Ruddock, Premier Bob Carr and former prime minister Bob Hawke
Mr Ruddock, for one, was ducking for cover as Mr Foo's illegal immigrant status was exposed.
"I made it very clear at the beginning that he was at a social function I was at, he wasn't sitting with me," Mr Ruddock said.
"The fact is he was using people I know to meet me to advance arguments that there ought to be special concessions in relation to immigration proposals for (business) people to settle in Dubbo.
"He wanted concessions that were essentially allowing people to buy their way in and not be involved in genuine business."
Mr Foo was at the centre of a daring scam in 1994 that allegedly resulted in him fleeing to Australia.
Known as Peng Boon Foo he is accused of pocketing more than $700,000 after convincing a couple to buy a property that was not for sale.
Press coverage of a court case two years later, in which a lawyer was sued for failing to conduct the proper checks, said Singapore police wanted to "extradite" Mr Foo from Australia.
The Straits Times this week reported Mr Foo disappeared from his homeland after the fraudulent deal and resurfaced in Dubbo in 1998 where he set himself up as a consultant.
Mr Foo was hunted by federal police and immigration authorities before turning himself in.
When he spoke with the Daily Liberal earlier in the week he was in no mood to talk about the bogus sale.
"This is bullshit - I'll explain it to you later," he said. "It's complicated. I'm aware of (the case) but I cannot talk about it until I speak to a lawyer. C'mon - you give me a break."
In September 1994 the Singapore media referred to a "swindler" working with possibly two or three accomplices who duped two people into buying the bungalow.
In the same article a police alert was issued for Mr Foo, described as a freelance property agent who went by the alias of "Frank".
According to media reports developer Soh Seng Hoo agreed to pay $13.9 million for the property, of which $1.1 million was to go to Mr Foo.
In the meantime, investors in Pioneer Spirit want some questions answered.
Warwick Harrison, a former director of Pioneer Spirit Development, said the company must respond to allegations of "inappropriate" use of funds by Jim Foo.
Investors forked out more than $500,000 in seed capital for the project and $270,000 in loans is overdue. This week PSD director Goh Yeok Chay was urged to open the company's books.
"We put great faith in Jim Foo and his vision to re-invigorate the economy of the central west," Mr Harrison said.
Mr Foo told Dubbo solicitor and PSD spokesman Andrew Graham of his plans to surrender the day before walking into the offices of immigration officials in Canberra.
Acting on Mr Graham's advice, the 62-year-old engaged one of the nation's largest migration practices to fight his case.
Cornerstone Community welcomed news he was now in custody.
For days members of the Christian organisation, a minority PSD shareholder, counselled the illegal immigrant to give himself up. Now they also want answers.
"Our hope is that the project will be able to reach its obvious potential and the people who provided the initial seed capital for this project receive the money that they are owed," spokesman Andrew Grant said.