‘Don’t be pussies,’ Pua says when daring BN men to say he met Justo

(Malay Mail Online) – DAP’s Tony Pua today challenged Barisan Nasional (BN) ministers to openly name him as the Malaysian politician who met with former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Justo in Thailand.

Pua has been implicated as among the Malaysians who allegedly met Justo to negotiate the sale of information on the Middle Eastern firm’s abortive deals with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP has been at the forefront of criticism against 1MDB and government leaders linked to the troubled firm, and is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee that is investigating the company.

“Well, I dare any BN Minister to accuse me of meeting Justo.

“Come on, don’t be pussies, don’t beat about the bush. No need to wayang,” Pua wrote on Facebook this morning.

Aside from blog posts and rumours, Pua has not been directly named as the politician implicated, although Umno ministers such as Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan has made allusions.

In a Twitter exchange with DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister asked if the former was afraid that his “star MP” would be shown up as lying about meeting Justo.

Yesterday, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said opposition lawmakers implicated in the Thai police’s revelations must deny that they met with Justo, claiming that failure to do so was cause for concern.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar yesterday said they have identified the Malaysian politician said to have met Justo to negotiate the purchase of the PetroSaudi documents in Thailand, but did not identify the person.

On Thursday, a Thai police investigation revealed that Justo had met with an opposition leader to sell the documents.

The former PetroSaudi man also denied doctoring the documents, insisting the originals were sold to a certain Europe-based media outlet.

Justo was arrested at his home in Koh Samui last month for alleged blackmail and extortion and is to be tried in Thailand.