KUALA LUMPUR: The government will wait for the outcome of the Thai police’s investigation into the allegations surrounding Swiss citizen Xavier Andre Justo before taking any action against him, said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah.
He said the arrest of the suspect by Thai police also showed that Malaysia was on the right track, contrary to claims by several online media portals.
“His arrest shows that we should wait for concrete evidence, and that we should not act only on theories.”
Justo is a former PetroSaudi International employee under Thai police custody for alleged blackmail over leaked information about dealings with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The 49-year-old was arrested at a house in Koh Samui last week with computers, hard drives and other data storage devices, the Bangkok Post had reported.
Justo also allegedly demanded 2.5 million Swiss francs (RM10.1 million) from the company in exchange for not disclosing confidential information to rival companies.
Husni noted Justo's act of leaking allegedly doctored information had negatively impacted the people's view towards 1MDB.
"It was made to appear as if 1MDB was scandalous and fragile. This is why the Auditor-General was instructed to conduct a probe on 1MDB,” he said.
On clearing 1MDB's debts, Husni said the company was on track to settle RM12.5bil in loans by end of this year.
This, he said, would be achieved by monetising its Edra Energy power-generation arm through open tenders.
He said the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) and Bandar Malaysia would also be developed through joint ventures with investors aimed at increasing the company's equity.
However, he said the ministry would still control 30 per cent in Edra Energy and 40 per cent in the TRX and Bandar Malaysia ventures.