Swiss man met 'buyers of data on Malaysian PM in Thailand'
THAILAND WAS used as a meeting venue between a Swiss suspect held here for blackmail and the potential buyers of information intended to discredit Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Singapore-based Straits Times newspaper reported online.
The paper quoted Thai police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri as saying that Xavier Justo met three times with a Malaysia-born female news blogger who had moved to Britain to negotiate the purchase of information and data. Prawut based his information on the confession of Justo, who he said had admitted to everything and surrendered a document, even records from his phone.
The suspect was arrested late last month in Surat Thani’s Koh Samui district for allegedly trying to blackmail a Saudi oil company.
Prawut said Justo named about 10 people from the media and political circles, even from the same party as Najib, who wanted to buy the information he had allegedly taken from PetroSaudi.
Prawut said Justo met the Malaysia-born woman three times in Thailand, and also in Singapore, for “negotiation”. Asked if the woman’s blog was the Sarawak Report website, he said: “Maybe. I didn’t name it, you named it. The website tampered with the data to discredit the [Malaysian] PM.”
The evidence from Justo allegedly included a full transcript of all the WhatsApp chats he had with the group during their negotiations and discussions on how he would be paid.
“This case should be reported in Singapore because the money-laundering to attack the PM started in Singapore,” Prawut said. “If the Singapore police ask me for evidence [through] the foreign affairs protocol, I can send it.”
The suspect had worked for PetroSaudi from 2010 to 2011 and the chief executive officer was Justo’s close friend. Justo walked out and the company paid him about 4 million Swiss francs (Bt140 million).
After two years, Justo called the CEO again and asked for more money. Before he left, he had copied every e-mail of the company from the server. “It was in 2013 that he called the company and said I know all your secrets and I want US$2.5million. When the firm turned down his demand, Justo approached the other group,” Prawut said.
Justo will be charged with blackmail, Prawut told The Straits Times.
Malaysia Development, a state investment agency chaired by Najib, has invested in PetroSaudi while allegations claimed that Najib received money from the investment in that company. Najib, who is facing calls for his resignation, has denied ever using state funds for “personal gain”.
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