NINE QUESTIONS FOR SARAWAK REPORT: CURRENT / THE JUSTO APPEAL AND ITS AFTERMATH

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1.
2. RELATED: SWISS BLACKMAILER APPEALS FOR SUSPENDED JAIL TERM
3. RELATED: SWISS NATIONAL ANDRE JUSTO APPEALS TO THAI COURT FOR SUSPENDED SENTENCING
4. RELATED: WHERE IS JUSTO'S US$2 MIL, ASKS RAJA PETRA

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"JUSTO DIDN'T DOCTOR DOCUMENTS"
REPORTED BY THE NEW STRAITS TIMES

BANGKOK, October 15, 2015 –

Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo has appealed against the three-year prison term handed down to him by the Bangkok South Criminal Court on August 17 for blackmailing his former employer, PetroSaudi International.

Justo’s new lawyer, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, filed the appeal in the court yesterday morning with 59 pages of supporting documents, just two days before the period to appeal expires.

Among the reasons for the appeal was that Justo did not tamper with the documents he obtained from PetroSaudi and it was his first offence.

This raises a question: If Justo did not tamper with the documents, then who did? Was it Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown or others?

Worrasit told Bernama that any damage to the image of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was because of the activities of third parties, who had doctored or tampered with the documents they received from Justo. He said Justo did not tamper with the documents.

“Those who doctored the information have to take responsibility and face legal action,” Worrasit said after filing the appeal.

He said in his opinion, Justo’s role in the case was not serious, as the documents had been tampered by other people.

He said it was the first time Justo had committed an offence, and so, he should not have to undergo the heavy punishment given and instead, could have a lighter sentence.

“It should be a six-month or one-year jail term, or a suspended sentence or just a fine.” Worrasit said while the normal appeal period was 30 days, Justo was given an extra 30 days to give time to him, as the new lawyer, to prepare the documents for the appeal.

Previously, Justo’s legal team was led by Pranot Kalanuson.

As to how Justo was doing at the moment, Worrasit said his client had adapted to the environment.

“I visit him every week, already about four to five times now. Justo said he is fine. He has many friends and they understand him, as he is a likeable man.”

Justo was sentenced to three years’ jail after pleading guilty to blackmailing PetroSaudi.

He was arrested at his house on Samui Island in the southern province of Surat Thani on June 22 after PetroSaudi officials filed a complaint that he had attempted to blackmail the company for 2.5 million Swiss francs with documents stolen from PetroSaudi.

('"Justo didn't doctor documents."' - The New Straits Times, October 15, 2015)

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1. "JUSTO DIDN'T DOCTOR DOCUMENTS"
2.
3. RELATED: SWISS NATIONAL ANDRE JUSTO APPEALS TO THAI COURT FOR SUSPENDED SENTENCING
4. RELATED: WHERE IS JUSTO'S US$2 MIL, ASKS RAJA PETRA

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RELATED: SWISS BLACKMAILER APPEALS FOR SUSPENDED JAIL TERM
REPORTED BY BANGKOK POST

BANGKOK, October 14, 2015 –

Swiss blackmailer Xavier Andre Justo has asked the Appeals Court to order the suspension of the three-year prison term handed down by the Criminal Court in August for the attempted extortion of his former employer, PetroSaudi.

Justo's lawyer Worasit Piriyawiboon filed the appeal on Wednesday.

The Bangkok South Criminal Court on Aug 17 sentenced Justo to three years in prison, without suspension, backdated to his arrest on June 22.

Justo, 49, is a former executive of Petro Saudi International (PSI). He was arrested on Koh Samui island on June 22 for threatening to disclose confidential information obtained from from his former employer relating to an alleged corruption case at 1MDB, a state-affiliated firm chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

More at source.

('Swiss blackmailer appeals for suspended jail term.' - Bangkok Post, October 14, 2015)

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1. "JUSTO DIDN'T DOCTOR DOCUMENTS"
2. RELATED: SWISS BLACKMAILER APPEALS FOR SUSPENDED JAIL TERM
3.
4. RELATED: WHERE IS JUSTO'S US$2 MIL, ASKS RAJA PETRA

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RELATED: SWISS NATIONAL XAVIER ANDRE JUSTO APPEALS TO THAI COURT FOR SUSPENDED SENTENCING

REPORTED BY CHIANGRAI TIMES

BANGKOK, October 14, 2015 –

Xavier Andre Justo the Petro-Saudi blackmailer has asked Thailand’s Appeals Court to order the suspension of his three-year prison term handed down by the Criminal Court in August for the attempted extortion of his former employer, Petro-Saudi. Justo’s lawyer Worasit Piriyawiboon filed the appeal on Wednesday the Bangkok Post Reported.

The Bangkok South Criminal Court on August 17 sentenced Justo to three years in prison, without suspension, backdated to his arrest on June 22.

Justo, 49, is a former executive of PetroSaudi International (PSI). He was arrested on Koh Samui island on June 22 for threatening to disclose confidential information obtained from his former employer relating to an alleged corruption case at 1MDB, a state-affiliated firm chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He demanded PetroSaudi pay him 2.5 million Swiss francs (about 90 million baht). PetroSaudi rejected the demand in 2013.

Mr Worasit said the appeal petition argues that Justo should not be penalized under the Criminal Code’s Section 338, which carries a 10-year maximum sentence, but under Section 337, about the attempt to blackmail, since there was no real damage done as payment did not occur.

“The maximum under Section 337 is one year in prison, and with his confession Justo should get the jail term reduced by half. With no previous criminal record, it should then be suspended,” said Mr Worasit.

“The alleged documents were not shown in the court, to highlight the extent of the damage to the concerned parties. Also, the information that was claimed to cause damage was falsified by other people, not my client,” said the lawyer, who had submitted the appeal before the extended deadline this Friday.

He said the appeal also refers to a media conference by former police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuang and police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri on July 16, when they said the information relating to the Justo case had been tampered with to attack the leader of a neighboring country.

Therefore, the prosecution’s charge should be dismissed, said Mr Worasit.

Critics have claimed Justo’s arrest and his confession about the falsification of information was aimed at clearing Mr Najib’s name by undermining the credibility of the whistle-blower website Sarawak Report and its reports on corruption at state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Mr Worasit said he will seek his client’s release on bail, pending the outcome of the appeal, next week.

('Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo Appeals to Thai Court for Suspended Sentencing.' - Chiangrai Times, October 14, 2015)

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1. "JUSTO DIDN'T DOCTOR DOCUMENTS"
2. RELATED: SWISS BLACKMAILER APPEALS FOR SUSPENDED JAIL TERM
3. RELATED: SWISS NATIONAL ANDRE JUSTO APPEALS TO THAI COURT FOR SUSPENDED SENTENCING
4. RELATED: WHERE IS JUSTO'S US$2 MIL, ASKS RAJA PETRA
4.

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RELATED: WHERE IS JUSTO'S US$2 MIL, ASKS RAJA PETRA

REPORTED BY BERITA DAILY

He says that the Malaysian police want to know who is the person still keeping the money which was originally meant for Justo's stolen data

KUALA LUMPUR, September 30, 2015 –

What has happened to the US$2 million that was supposed to be paid to former PetroSaudi employee Xavier Andre Justo for the data on 1MDB, asked political commentator and blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin today.

Justo, who is now serving a jail sentence in Thailand, had previously said that he was to be paid US$2 million for the stolen data he sold to The Edge.

However, he never received the money as he was arrested in Thailand before any transfer could be made. He is now serving three years' jail for attempting to blackmail PetroSaudi.

Raja Petra claimed that Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown was Justo's broker who was supposed to receive the money on his behalf and then transfer it to him over eight months.

He also said that although The Edge had claimed that they had no intention of paying for the data, Justo was, however, given proof of payment for the data.

“So the whole arrangement was done through brokers — Clare as Justo’s broker and (DAP lawmaker) Tony Pua as the broker for The Edge,” said Raja Petra.

He said that once proof of payment was shown, Justo had handed over the stolen data.

“However, till today he never received any money. So the Malaysian police are keen to meet Justo to ask him about this.

“If the money had been paid and if Justo had sighted the proof of payment, that would mean the money is still somewhere in transit and is still in the hands of one or both of the brokers.

“And the Malaysian police want to know whom is the person still keeping the money,” he added.

“So the police are trying to meet Justo to get his statement before they zero in on the broker or brokers to find out what happened to the US$2 million.

“What the police know thus far is that The Edge paid the US$2 million but Justo never received it. Now the police need to solve the mystery of who is holding on to that money.”

Email hacking

Meanwhile, Clare in a posting in Sarawak Report today claimed that an email address belonging to Raja Petra was mysteriously discovered in email communications between lawyers handling the high-profile extradition case of Sirul Azhar Umar in Australia.

The report quoted sources as saying that private legal information regarding the case had been copied to the said email address.

When an IT expert was called in to check, it was discovered that the systems had been compromised by a computer ‘bug’ that diverts emails.

“The Australian lawyers conducted researches, which soon unearthed the owner of this email address of ‘piranha’@malaysiatoday. It is none other than one of the contact addresses of RPK’s own blog Malaysia Today,” reported Sarawak Report.

Sarawak Report said that it had requested an explanation from Raja Petra but had no response.

The portal also revealed that the Australian immigration services, who are holding Sirul, have also acknowledged that their email correspondence has come under attack relating to this particular case.

“This incident ties in strangely with some rather amateur hacking attempts against Sarawak Report during exactly the same period in recent weeks,” it added.