SWISS whistle-blower Xavier Andre Justo said he would “do it again” if the chance to expose corruption involving 1Malaysia Development Bhd repeated itself. 

Speaking at the 2018 Anti-Corruption Summit in Kuala Lumpur today, Justo said he made up his mind to expose the 1MDB scandal after meeting a British journalist and two Malaysians.

“It wasn’t a difficult choice, as everyone has a moral value.

“But I would have tried to avoid the jail part and protect my family better. Now I want the criminals who put me in jail and threatened my wife to be jailed, too.”

Instead of exposing the emails between Petro Saudi and 1MDB from Thailand, Justo said he should have returned to Switzerland before releasing the data.

He was arrested on a Thai resort island in 2015 and jailed three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting to blackmail his employers, Petro Saudi International, and former joint venture partner 1MDB.

The sentence was cut to two years under a royal amnesty in December 2016. Justo had leaked documents from Petro Saudi relating to the joint venture, published by Malaysian and international media groups and sparking a money-laundering investigation.

He has since said the confession was forced or he would face 10 years in jail.

“I was arrested and jailed and not sleeping. They (Thai authorities) put me in a prison with 50 others in a 30 sq m room and left me there for three to four days.

“After that, they told me that either I help them (by confessing) or spend 10 years in jail. But if I confessed, I will be out by Christmas (18 months).

“I’m sure everyone here would have done the same. My English isn’t that good and if you have read my confession you will see it was dictated by a British citizen,” said Justo.

He was responding to a question from Transparency International moderator Mohd Yunos Yusop on why he confessed.

Justo also denied that he had attempted to blackmail Petro Saudi in return for the data that led to the expose on 1MDB.

“I didn’t blackmail them but had asked for my money. Money that was part of my severance pay. But they didn’t pay me in the end,” said the 53-year-old. – October 30, 2018.