Former Manager Leaked Confidential Information That Could Jeopardise PETRONAS, PETROS Negotiations – Witness

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here today was told that the action of a former manager at PETRONAS in leaking the oil company’s confidential information to Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) could affect the negotiation process between the two oil companies involved.

PETRONAS General Manager, Syakirah Mustapa, 51, said if the report information regarding PETRONAS’ operational and financial performance were leaked to competitors, they could find out PETRONAS’ current Upstream operational and financial performance for the first quarter as well as the overall estimate for 2024.

“The information includes financial strength, operational performance, production volume and issues, health, safety and environmental issues, oil and gas discoveries, project investments as well as company divestment issues such as Sudan.

“This leakage of information could affect the negotiation process between PETRONAS and PETROS and could potentially cause unfavourable negotiations for PETRONAS,” she said when reading her witness statement during the trial of Mohd Khairul Akmal Mohd Jasni, who is charged with attempting to disclose the report to PETROS.

The second prosecution witness said that as an individual entrusted with maintaining the confidentiality of company documents, Mohd Khairul Akmal had indeed betrayed the trust given to him if proven to have leaked or attempted to leak the report to a third party.

“No permission was ever given to him (Mohd Khairul Akmal) to use the report for personal purposes or to share it with third parties.

“The third parties are Datuk Janin Girie, who is a former PETRONAS employee and now holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of PETROS, while Azha Jalil is the Chief Financial Officer of PETROS. I am not sure whether Mohd Khairul Akmal knows both individuals,” said Syakirah during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan.

Syakirah said Mohd Khairul Akmal’s role, who held the position of PETRONAS Business Unit Performance Manager for 22 months, was to manage the preparation of financial performance reports for the upstream business on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.

The process of preparing the reports, she said, involved two main groups, namely Business Performance Improvement (BPI) and Business Planning and Performance Reporting (BPPR).

“The reports are controlled and initiated by BPI and given to BPPR to complete the relevant sections. The group consists of myself, Mohd Khairul Akmal and seven other individuals,” she said, who heads the BPPR.

The witness said Mohd Khairul Akmal was not permitted to share the reports with any external parties other than those involved in the preparation of the reports, but the accused is suspected of having leaked the company’s information via PETRONAS email.

In addition, Syakirah said she had made a comparison and confirmed that the documents sent by Mohd Khairul Akmal to third parties via Mohd Khairul Akmal’s email were identical to the original report titled “Q1 2024 Upstream Business Performance – Operational and Financial”.

“The document was presented by myself and Jasmin Nisha to the Upstream Leadership Team on 10 May 2024 without any changes to its original content,” explained the witness.

Meanwhile, during cross-examination by lawyer Louis Liaw Vern Xien representing Mohd Khairul Akmal, the witness said she was shocked by Mohd Khairul Akmal’s actions because he had performed his duties well throughout his tenure in that position.

Mohd Khairul Akmal, 41, is charged with attempting to disclose information, namely a document titled “Q1 2024 Upstream Business Performance Operational & Financial” to Petros, which the document was obtained while carrying out his duties as PETRONAS Business Unit Performance Manager, at a condominium unit along Jalan Pinang, here, between 3.19 p.m. and 3.21 p.m., on 8 June 2024.

The charge is framed under Section 203A(1) of the Penal Code read together with Section 511 of the same Code, which provides for a maximum fine of RM1 million or imprisonment of up to one year, while Section 511 carries a punishment of imprisonment not exceeding half of that prescribed under Section 203A(1), if found guilty.

The trial before Judge Mazuliana Abdul Rashid continues on 7 July.

Bernama