A MALAYSIAN is suing her ex-employer, Norway’s largest oilfied service company, over a gag order that she said prevented her from talking to anti-corruption investigators about the firm’s business dealings with national oil firm Petronas, Reuters reported today,

Aker Solutions has denied the charges issued by Seetha Kumarasamy, formerly the company’s legal director.

In a November 20 court filing sighted by Reuters, Seetha said Aker Solutions sued her in 2018 to prevent her from speaking to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which had asked for her assistance in a probe into allegations of corruption in the transactions between the Norwegian and Malaysian firms.  

She said Aker Solutions obtained a court order to seize her laptop to gain access to her emails in 2018, and that she was fired in February the same year.

Citing sources, the report said MACC was investigating Aker Solutions for allegedly making false representations regarding the ownership of one of its Malaysian units to win licences from Petronas.

Aker Solutions has denied wrongdoing, saying it had furnished the graft-busters with company information and access to its Kuala Lumpur offices.

Seetha’s lawyer Balan Nair Thamodaran confirmed a suit had been filed against Aker Solutions and three of its Malaysian units and that “the matter relates to the companies’ alleged improper business practices”.

Aker Solutions said in its filed response that it sued Seetha in 2018 to protect its private information, accusing her of  divulging confidential matters to third parties.

It said the suit was “independent of and do not concern the plaintiff’s communications with the MACC.”

Aker Solutions declined Reuters’ request for comment, as did Petronas. MACC did not respond to the news agency’s email asking for comment. – December 30, 2020.