Justo must serve Bangkok sentence before extradition, Thai police say
(Malay Mail Online) – Former PetroSaudi International (PSI) executive Xavier Andre Justo must first serve his sentence in Thailand should the courts there find him guilty before any other country will be allowed to extradite him, Thai police said today.
According to Thai news portal The Nation, Justo would be required to serve two-thirds of a prison sentence if the courts in Thailand convict him of blackmail.
“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 [handed over],” Thai police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri was quoted as saying.
The penalty for blackmail in Thailand, which are the charges Justo currently faces, would entail five years behind bars or a fine of no more than TBH90 million (RM 9.8 million), or both.
The spokesman added, however, that foreign countries will be able to obtain information from Thai police through diplomatic channels namely the Thai foreign ministry.
The request by the Malaysian Embassy at Bangkok to speak to Justo is still being reviewed by the Thai foreign ministry, Prawut confirmed, but pointed out that Malaysian officials did not specify when they wished to interview the Swiss national.
“We are willing to cooperate with any countries that put their request through the proper channels. So far there have been no other countries that expressed a wish to get information on the matter,” the spokesman said.
Thai police arrested Justo on June 22 on charges of blackmailing PSI, an international company based in Saudi Arabia linked to a controversy surrounding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Following the alleged sale of the documents, several emails and documents were published by the Sarawak Report news portal that led to allegations against 1MDB.
Bukit Aman has also formed a team that will take off to Bangkok and investigate Justo over his claim that he had met key Malaysian opposition politicians to sell classified information.
