KUALA LUMPUR: Xavier Andre Justo is happy that his exposure on beleaguered state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is bearing fruit and would do it all over again.
"If I had to do it again, I would do it again. But except this time I would protect my family first," he said on the sidelines of the 2018 Anti-Corruption Summit themed "Good Governance and Integrity for Sustainable Business Growth," organised by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) and Aram Global Sdn Bhd at the Istana Hotel, here, today.
Justo is a panelist at the summit, and presented a paper on the battle against ill-gotten money.
The Swiss national who was a former PetroSaudi International Ltd employee was responsible for leaking Petrosaudi documents, which led to the exposure of the 1MDB scandal.
It also landed him an 18 months stint in prison after he pleaded guilty to blackmailing his former employer.
“But after seeing the results and outcome, it was worth doing it... but it was very difficult,” he said.
Justo said he encourages whistleblowers to come forward, but advised them to take precautions, especially in safeguarding their family and loved ones first.
This, he added include having proper lawyers and consultants as support in the event of a backlash or complications.
“If you do it my way, you will face the consequences, so you have to learn from the lesson of others,” Justo said, adding his actions also resulted in him being unable to open a bank account.
However, he added that he was confident justice would be served in all countries investigating the alleged wrongdoings in the 1MDB scandal and this will eventually help clear his name.
Meanwhile, Justo said fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, will "soon run out of money and would eventually be arrested."