Justo claims he was offered US$2mil for stolen data

Former PetroSaudi International director Xavier Andre Justo has claimed that he was promised US$2 million (RM7.6 million) in exchange for data he stole from his former employer.

Singapore's The Straits Times (ST) today reported that Justo, in an interview in a Thai remand prison were he is being held, said the money promised by ‘a prominent Malaysian businessman’, never came.

"I tried to open an account in Singapore, to have the money paid directly from (the buyer's) account," Justo said.

"DBS Bank refused, I don't know why. After that I opened an account in Abu Dhabi in my own personal name which was refused by (the buyer) because it had my name on it."

"Then I tried to use my company account in Hong Kong and he said the same, after that it was through a Luxembourg company and then again (the buyer) refused and after that Clare Brown took the lead," he told The Straits Times, when referring to Sarawak Report editor, Clare Rewcastle-Brown.

He claimed that Rewcastle-Brown had agreed to receive the total amount from the buyer and send him US$250,000 a month for consultancy services. Justo said he had no idea if she received the money, as he had been arrested.

In the same report, Rewcastle-Brown rubbished the allegations.

Justo also said the group of people that he met in Singapore to discuss the deal, had tampered with the data he had given them.

"I gave the original documents without any kind of alteration," he claimed, adding that he gave the documents to two groups of people including Rewcastle-Brown and ‘her IT guy’, the Malaysian businessman, as well as his colleague.

Rewcastle-Brown has since denied that any such alteration was done.

Last month, Justo was arrested by the Thai police and charged with attempted blackmail and extortion against PetroSaudi International.

Justo faces up to seven years in jail and a fine if found guilty of extortion.

READ: Yes, we misled Justo - The Edge Media Group