Thailand has refused a request by Switzerland to repatriate a Swiss national, convicted of selling information to anti-government groups in Malaysia, so he can serve the rest of his sentence in his home country, a senior diplomat said yesterday.
Viktor Vavricka, the Swiss embassy's charge d'affaires, said Bern regretted Bangkok's refusal to allow Andre Xavier Justo -- involved in exposing the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal -- to be jailed in Switzerland.
"The Swiss embassy is aware the transfer request has been refused by the Thai authorities, a development the Swiss authorities regret," Mr Vavricka wrote in an email to the Bangkok Post.
"However, official notification of the decision is still pending. The safety and integrity of Mr Justo is of utmost priority to the Swiss authorities which continue to follow this case closely."
The Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced Justo to three years imprisonment in June 2015 for attempting to blackmail his former employer, PetroSaudi International. The original six-year sentence was cut in half after Justo pleaded guilty.
Arrested on Samui, where he was living, Justo allegedly stole information from Swiss-based PetroSaudi, and tried to sell it to media organisations which led to the breaking of the 1MDB scandal. He is accused of copying company emails before demanding the company pay him US$2.5million (87 million baht). When PetroSaudi turned down his demand, he approached another group to sell the data.
The "buyers" included Malaysian news group The Edge and newsblog Sarawak Report, and the data he sold eventually led to news reports into the alleged theft of funds from 1MDB.
The case has drawn the greatest interest in Malaysia, because documents said to have been leaked by Justo allegedly revealed links between a financial scandal and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
His lawyer, Worasit Piriyawiboon, said on Aug 10 that his client had served over one year and had been categorised as a good prisoner, so he was eligible for a one-third reduction in his sentence.
Justo was reportedly one of thousands of prisoners eligible for parole granted to mark 70 years since His Majesty the King's accession to the throne, and the 84th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.
"If paroled, he has to stay in Thailand and report to authorities every month until June next year," the lawyer said.
Justo is also wanted by the US Department of Justice which was seeking the recovery of more than US$1 billion defrauded from Malaysia. His transfer would not benefit US efforts to unwind the international fraud, diplomatic sources said.