Former Petronas executive Abdul Jabbar Mohd has been acquitted of a corruption charge that alleged he had an indirect interest in a commercial transaction.

Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Rosbiahanim Arifin said today that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has failed to prove a prima facie case against him.

NONE Abdul Jabbar (left) was alleged to have directed sub-vendor Hassim Bidin of Hassia Sdn Bhd to give a Petronas contract to supply plastic lubricant containers for Petronas Dagangan Bhd, to joint partners Fairview Industries Sdn Bhd and Geena Enterprise between February 1998 and August 1999.

He was charged under Section 15(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 on April 6, 2006.

For the last four years, he has handled his own defence from the dock because his lawyers withdrew from the case.

Abdul Jabbar, met outside the court, said he was happy with the decision and maintained he had been falsely charged.

The former exec petronas utive of Petronas Dagang Bhd has also blown the whistle against Petronas, with whom he worked for over 20 years.

He made claims about misappropriation and forgery within the corporation’s Network Development Retail Committee (NDRC).

The NDRC serves as the land-valuing committee that makes recommendations on the purchase of land for the construction of Petronas stations nationwide.

He also lodged police reports against Petronas Dagangan and complaints to the Attorney-General's Chambers, but to no avail.

As a result of a Malaysiakini report, a Petronas staff lodged a criminal defamation report against Abdul Jabbar and the news portal, whose editor-in-chief Steven Gan was called in to assist the investigation.

Petronas has filed a civil action against Abdul Jabbar over his allegations, and dismissed him as an employee.