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Thais 'no' to Justo's extradition till he faces law
Published:  Jul 23, 2015 11:58 AM
Updated: 11:17 AM

Thai police will only look into extradition requests for former PetroSaudi International director Xavier Andre Justo after he stands trial in a Thai court.

According to Thai media, the country's police spokesperson Lt-Gen Prawut Thavornsiri, said Justo must first be tried on charges of blackmail.

Prawut said if Justo is found guilty, he must serve the jail sentence before he can be extradited.

"The suspect will be tried in a Thai court on charges of blackmail. If the court rules against him, and a foreign country wants him extradited, he has to serve at least two-thirds of the prison term before being (extradited)," Prawut is quoted as saying by Thai daily The Nation .

He said the Thai police would submit its case to public prosecutors within this month and if the court in Thailand finds Justo guilty, he would face up to five years in prison and/or a fine.

Justo was arrested in Koh Samui last month for allegedly blackmailing PetroSaudi for 2.5 million Swiss francs (RM9.925 million) in exchange for not releasing information he purportedly stole from the company.

Malaysia is also interested in Justo, who prior to his arrest is alleged to have passed the information to third parties after failing to get payment from PetroSaudi.

Thai police prepared to share information

The information, which included PetroSaudi's correspondence with 1MDB about their joint venture activities, has put 1MDB in a spot.

This information was used by whistleblower site Sarawak Report to present reports on misappropriation of funds in the Finance Ministry-owned 1MDB.

Prawut said Thai police are prepared to share information on their case, on condition that it is done through diplomatic channels and through the Thai Foreign Ministry.

He also revealed that the request from Malaysia to question Justo is being considered by the Foreign Ministry.

However, Prawut said, individuals who purportedly purchased information from Justo cannot be summoned by the police as this activity did not take place on Thai soil.


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