Petronas witness cannot confirm who sent email to Petros

A Petronas HR manager testified in Kuala Lumpur's Sessions Court that she was unable to confirm the authorship of an email containing the company’s Q1 2024 financial report sent to two Petros executives. Suhaidah Labu, 42, affirmed she had viewed the email allegedly dispatched by former Petronas senior manager Mohd Khairul Akmal Mohd Jasni to Petroleum Sarawak Berhad CEO Datuk Janin Girie and CFO Mohd Azha Abdul Jalil.

However, under cross-examination, Suhaidah admitted she was uncertain about who composed or pressed send on the email. The prosecution questioned Suhaidah about who wrote and sent the email, to which she replied, "Yes, that is correct, I am not certain." Prior to the email's discovery, Suhaidah recounted seeing it from Industrial Relations officers Jumsuri Basri and Zatil 'Ismah Azmi on Dec 6, 2024, who sought confirmation of Mohd Khairul Akmal's employment status.

She noted the email contained the phrase "I look forward to joining your team," which prompted her to verify Petronas' records, confirming that Mohd Khairul Akmal was still an active employee. Following this, a suspension notice was issued against the accused, who was asked to surrender his Petronas laptop. Suhaidah testified that she had taken the laptop but voluntarily surrendered it after being informed of the suspension.

She described Mohd Khairul Akmal as a high-performing employee in Petronas' finance department, categorized as "Top Talent" with extensive knowledge of the oil and gas sector. She also mentioned the RM15,000 salary for the managerial position was based on Petronas' Internal Equity principle. The trial, presided over by Judge Mazuliana Abdul Rashid, is expected to resume on November 18.