Former Petronas manager met Petros official before job interview, court told

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — In court, a former Petronas employee testified about a meeting with a senior Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) official before a job interview in 2024. The witness, who previously worked at Petronas for 12 years, stated that the meeting occurred at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club before Mohd Khairul Akmal's interview with Petros' chief financial officer and CEO.

The witness clarified that while the positions of Head of Upstream Finance at Petros and Manager of Business Planning Performance Review Upstream at Petronas shared similarities, the witness could not recall the salary scale for the Petros position. Under Petronas' Code of Ethics, employees must seek prior approval before disclosing sensitive company information, which Mohd Khairul Akmal allegedly did in attempting to share a Q1 2024 Upstream Business Performance Operational & Financial document with Petros in June 2024.

The charge against Mohd Khairul Akmal, 41, is under Section 203A(1) and Section 511 of the Penal Code, carrying a potential fine of RM1 million or imprisonment of up to one year, with a half-year sentence for Section 511. The trial continues the following day.