BANGKOK: The hearing of a PetroSaudi-linked blackmail case against Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo has been completed for today.
The 49-year-old Justo, clad in brown Department of Corrections uniform and his feet shackled, was escorted out of the King Rama V room of Bangkok South Criminal Court by a group of correctional officers around 12.17pm.
The prosecutor of the blackmail case against Justo, who declined to say anything, left the court two minutes earlier.
Justo, married father of one, was also tight-lipped when reporters swarmed around him at the seventh floor of the plaza.
A lawyer, who appeared on behalf of Justo during the three hour closed-door hearing, would not comment on what transpired in proceedings. Speaking in Thai, he also declined to reveal his name.
He said he merely appeared on behalf of Pranot Kalanuson, Justo's actual legal representative, and was not allowed to divulge what happened today until he conferred with Pranot.
Justo faced charges over his alleged blackmailing of his former employer PetroSaudi for 2.5 million Swiss francs (RM9.95 million). PetroSaudi rejected the demands in 2013.
Depending on how the court accepts Justo's 22-page confession, he may be handed jail time not more than 10 years jail and a fine between THB2,000 (RM222) and THB20,000 (RM2223).
Justo was arrested at his home at Koh Samui on June 22.
Among others, Justo also purportedly failed to receive a promised RM7.7 million payment from Datuk Dr Toong Kooi ong, who owned The Edge Media Group, for documents allegedly over financial abuse in ventures between PetroSaudi and 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The Edge Media Group's two business publications The Edge Financial Daily and The Edge Weekly has been suspended for three months over its coverage of the 1MDB issue.
Justo was also alleged to have met Clare Rewcastle-Brown, the founder and editor of news portal the Sarawak Report, over the exchange of purported stolen documents related to the PetroSaudi-1MDB venture.
An arrest warrant has been issued by the Kuala Lumpur court against Rewcastle-Brown over alleged involvement in activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
The Sarawak Report is now temporarily blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission(MCMC).
Ex-PetroSaudi executive Xavier Andre Justo jailed 3 three years by Bangkok South Criminal Court for blackmailing his ex-employer 2.5 million Swiss francs(RM9.95 million)