Putrajaya will cooperate with Thai authorities with the aim of taking action against The Edge Media Group and whistleblower website Sarawak Report .

This follows the arrest of former PetroSaudi International Ltd executive Xavier Andrea Justo, a Swiss national, by Thai police for leaking company secrets to Sarawak Report.

London-based PetroSaudi International Ltd had entered into a joint-venture with 1MDB in 2009, which saw the Finance Ministry-owned company investing RM3.5 billion. The deal was called off in six months.

Home Ministry Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters in Putrajaya today that the information reported by Sarawak Report and later reproduced by The Edge was untrue, because the facts had been "twisted".

"Investigations will be conducted to identify the appropriate laws that can be used to charge (the perpetrators).

"In view of the arrest in Thailand, we will provide any form of assistance requested by the Thai authorities, including providing witnesses from Malaysia.

"We believe that (the perpetrators) must be fully responsible for any action (that will be taken) resulting from the false reporting or intentional spinning (of facts)," he said.

However, Zahid said any action against Sarawak Report and The Edge would be predicated on the investigations by Thai authorities.

"If we can use the results of the Thai investigations to prosecute in Malaysia, thus the information will be used by the police and prosecutors," he said.

Tampered data?

He added that Malaysia would be willing to extradite individuals that can help Thai investigations.

According to New Straits Times , Justo was arrested by Thailand's crime suppression division following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court.

The report state that the Thai police are alleging that Justo had attempted to blackmail and extort his former employers by threatening to release confidential business information.

This report also quoted an unnamed source from London-based cyber-security firm Protection Group International (PGI) which claimed that information stolen by Justo that is now available on the internet, had been tampered with.

The PGI source also went on to suggest that Justo was a "greedy or malicious employee" out to threaten his former employers for financial gain or otherwise.

"This case is an almost textbook match to that profile. PetroSaudi, like many companies, individuals or even governments that we have seen before them, and no doubt will continue to see after them, will suffer unfair scrutiny caused by a misinformed online onslaught," said the source, according to the report.