Whistleblower website Sarawak Report claimed that a former policeman was allegedly hired to extract a confession from ex-PetroSaudi International employee Xavier Andre Justo following his arrest in Thailand.

In an emailed communique, Sarawak Report alleged that Justo’s former colleague Patrick Mahony organised a second person to visit Justo two days after his detention.

"This was Paul Finnegan, a former UK policeman, who claimed he had been deployed to work on the case by Scotland Yard, supposedly with the blessing of the Thai authorities.

“That claim was a lie, however,” the website alleged.

According to Sarawak Report, Finnegan was purportedly hired by PetroSaudi for a fee of RM3,000 a day to handle Justo on their behalf.

“Indeed, the day after Justo’s arrest, Mahony and Finnegan were permitted by Thai officials to enter and search his home in Koh Samui for files and documents relating to the case.

“Finnegan told Justo that since he was also working with Scotland Yard he could help him get out of jail, so long as the prisoner cooperated with PetroSaudi.

“This meant revealing where all his remaining data was and signing a ‘small confession’ aimed at getting PetroSaudi off the hook.

“This, as Finnegan also explained to Xavier’s wife Laura, would ‘satisfy the Thais’ and enable Justo to be set free ‘by the back door of the prison’,” alleged the website.

Sarawak Report, which also interviewed Justo’s wife, claimed that Finnegan’s first target was to retrieve Justo’s remaining data on behalf of PetroSaudi.

“Once their captive had revealed this was kept back at his home in Geneva, where his wife Laura was visiting family with her new baby, Finnegan immediately made contact.

“Laura said the bogus police officer was extremely threatening. He demanded on the phone that she release the material or he would organise for her to be ‘arrested by the UK police’,” read the website.

Following this, Sarawak Report accused PetroSaudi of initiating legal proceedings against the website and The Edge in Singapore.

“Again PetroSaudi practiced a deceit in this matter, by pretending that the legal case was instigated by Justo from his jail in Bangkok, when in fact it was entirely managed and paid for by themselves,” it alleged.

Sarawak Report also alleged that in return for promises of freedom Justo and his wife were pressed to take part in a media campaign to vilify Sarawak Report as being part of a conspiracy to manufacture false accusations against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and PetroSaudi.

Malaysiakini is unable to independently verify these claims and has emailed PetroSaudi for their comment.

Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain. Attorney-general Mohamad Apandi Ali has also cleared the prime minister of any wrongdoing.

The Guardian has also published an interview with Justo’s wife, where she claimed her husband could have been tricked into confessing.