Nurul Izzah offered Justo gov't contracts for info

PKR’s Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is alleged to have offered former Petro Saudi employee Xavier Justo US$2 million (RM8.7 million) in government contracts in exchange for information, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.

He allegedly stole from his employer regarding state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the daily reported.

According to the NST, Justo in his written confession said Rewcastle-Brown contacted him in September 2004 to relay Nurul Izzah’s offer but he declined because he “saw no purpose for it”.

This is the the Umno-linked daily's second instalment on the matter, yesterday reporting that Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewscastle-Brown acted as Justo’s broker.

It reported that Nurul Izzah (photo) was unreachable for comment. Malaysiakini’s calls and text messages to the PKR vice president today has yet to be answered.

Rewcastle-Brown yesterday said it is true she "sounded out" various quarters on Justo’s offer but denied taking any payment for it.

Justo is under arrest in Thailand, after leaking the information to business publication The Edge which had promised but failed to pay him for the information.

The data included e-mail communications between PetroSaudi and 1MDB, which among others revealed how funds moved from 1MDB to a firm controlled by businessman and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s family friend Jho Low.

Pua: I'm not involved in transactions

Justo said Rewcastle-Brown contacted him again in February 2015 to say that she and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua (photo) had arranged the sale of the stolen data to the now supended business publication The Edge, the NST reported.

When contacted by Malaysiakini on the matter, Pua said he introduced Rewcastle-Brown to The Edge top guns, but was not privy to the leaks or any transactions.

The NST said Pua did not respond to its questions.

Justo said he handed over the data to The Edge media group Tong Kooi Ong at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore and the payment of US$2 million (RM8.7 million) was to be made through Rewcastle-Brown, it reported.

"It would involve Tong paying her US$2 million in the United Kingdom, and her paying me a monthly amount disguised as a consultancy fee via the Sarawak Report, which she owns," Justo is quoted as saying.

"She proposed that I open a newsdesk for the Southeast Asia region for which she would pay me US$350,000 followed by another US$1.25 million later."

Yesterday, Tong denied claims of conspiracy to topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Source: Malaysiakini