Ex-Petronas manager met Petros CFO at KL golf club in 2024, court hears

It was the same year that Khairul Akmal Jasni allegedly attempted to disclose Petronas's confidential document to Petros.

A witness – whose identity has been withheld – said Khairul was later interviewed by Azha in Sarawak.

In her testimony, the witness – who worked in Petronas’s human resources department at the time – said she and Khairul were close friends and that she had advised him on the salary he should seek from Petros.

The witness, who is in her early 40s, was testifying as the fifth prosecution witness in the trial of Khairul, who is accused of attempting to disclose Petronas’s confidential document to Petros in June 2024.

During cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Radzuan, the witness said Khairul had applied for the position of head of upstream finance at Petros.

Syafina: What was the salary range for this position?

Witness: I don’t remember. But as a human resources officer, based on the job description, I advised him on the salary he should seek from Petros.

Syafina: Did you follow up with him regarding the job application?

Witness: I did ask him how the interview went. He had his formal interview with Azha and (Petros senior vice-president of resource management) Abang Arabi Narudin at Petros’s office in Kuching.

Syafina: How about the informal interview?

Witness: It was with Azha at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

However, the witness said she could not recall the exact dates of the interviews or the salary she had suggested to Khairul.

Previously, Petros human resources officer Nurul Qurratu Aini Laila Junaidi confirmed that Khairul had applied for a job through Petros’s website on Jan 24, 2024.

She said Khairul declined the offer as it did not meet his salary expectations.

Khairul is charged with attempting to disclose the document, titled “Q1 2024 Upstream Business Performance – Operational and Financial”, which he allegedly obtained during his tenure at Petronas, to Petros.

The offence was allegedly committed at B-6-10, Marc Service Residence, Jalan Pinang, Dang Wangi, between 3.19pm and 3.21pm on June 8, 2024.

He was charged under Section 203A(1) read with Section 511 of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum fine of RM1 million, imprisonment of up to one year, or both, upon conviction.

Lawyer Louis Liaw represented the accused. The trial before judge Mazuliana Abdul Rashid continues tomorrow.