Federal commercial criminal investigation department director Amar Singh Ishar Singh has rubbished the claim that former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Justo was made to declare that Najib Abdul Razak "was the best prime minister".

In a statement this evening, Amar said the police investigations were focused on the alleged theft of data relating to PetroSaudi/1MDB, and the subsequent attempt to sell/extort to/from third parties with an intent to affect the security of the country, and not on Justo's character, or who is the best prime minister. 

"So Mr Xavier Andre Justo... don’t lie," said Amar. 

Recalling the 2015 episode, Amar said he was then the deputy director of Bukit Aman's CID (Legal and Investigations), when he was tasked to record Justo's statement in a Bangkok prison for his role in attempting to blackmail and extort his former employer, PetroSaudi, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company, with data he had taken from them.

The emails purportedly leaked by Justo were purportedly linked to 1MDB, which were published by Sarawak Report.

Elaborating, Amar said the police presented a total of 57 questions to Justo, ranging from his personal background to his stint in PetroSaudi, as well as ties with Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown.

On Justo's allegations that he was forced to say that he was a bad man, that he liked money, and that PetroSaudi was nice, as well as "Najib was the best PM", Amar said such questions were irrelevant to the probe, and it would have been silly to have asked them.

"The Malaysian police has got more professionalism than that.

"We never asked the above silly questions. We have your statement with us, and nowhere can it be seen that the statements you alleged were asked of you," Amar said, further urging Justo to stop lying.

Thai police alleged that Justo had leaked documents from PetroSaudi, relating to its joint venture with 1MDB, that were published by Malaysian and international media, which formed the basis of money-laundering investigations into the fund.

He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment but was released after 18 months in Dec 2016 after being granted royal amnesty by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The Malay Mail had yesterday quoted Justo claiming that he was forced to admit that Najib was “the best prime minister”, as part of a forced confession to Malaysian police officers, including Amar.

He reportedly said that he was under the impression the admission was part of several instructions imposed as a condition for his release.

The Swiss national reportedly told a conference on financial crime in Kuala Lumpur that: “The Malaysian delegation was of three Malaysian policemen and they told me to say I was a bad man, I liked money and (PetroSaudi chief executive officer) Tarek (Obaid) and PetroSaudi were nice.

“And also I had to say Najib was the best PM ever ... of course, I don’t know if he was.

“They (Malaysian police) had 55 questions, all I had to do was follow what I was told and that’s it."

Justo also alleged at the conference that he believed Malaysian authorities had a hand in his continued detention in Thailand, even after he was allegedly told he was to have been deported back to Switzerland.

“But three days after the Malaysian police came, I found out that they denied my deportation," he reportedly said.

Thai Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya had in 2016 denied that the country bowed to international pressure in denying Justo's request to serve the remainder of his jail term in Switzerland, saying that the decision was made "in accordance with Thai law".