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KUALA LUMPUR: A former Malaysian employee of Norway’s largest oil services company, Aker Solutions, sued the company, saying it tried to prevent her from speaking to authorities about its business practices, an allegation the company denies.
Seetha Kumarasamy, the firm’s former chief legal officer, said in a Nov.20 Kuala Lumpur court file seen by Reuters that Aker Solutions had sued her in 2018 to suppress evidence and prevent her from speaking out amid a corruption probe into the deals signing with Petronas. .
Aker Solutions, in a court filing last week, denied the allegation and accused Seetha of violating its confidentiality obligations with the firm.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is investigating Aker Solutions for allegedly making false statements regarding the ownership of one of its Malaysian units to obtain licenses from Petronas, sources told Reuters.
Aker Solutions has denied wrongdoing, saying that it had provided information about the setup and organization of its business, as well as access to its Kuala Lumpur offices, to the MACC.
Seetha’s lawsuit says Aker Solutions sued her and obtained a court order to seize her laptop and gain access to her email accounts in 2018, after she was ordered by MACC to assist in its investigation. She said she was fired in February 2018.
The lawsuit said Aker Solutions’ actions amounted to abuse of process and conspiracy. He sought unspecified damages for legal costs, anxiety and mental anguish, as well as loss of reputation and credibility.
Seetha’s lawyer, Balan Nair Thamodaran, confirmed that the lawsuit had been filed against Aker Solutions and three of its Malaysian units, adding that “the matter relates to the companies’ alleged improper business practices.”
In its response, Aker Solutions said its 2018 lawsuit was aimed at protecting your private information and accused Seetha of disclosing confidential matters to third parties.
He denied that his legal actions were an abuse of process, saying that his complaint was “independent of the plaintiff’s communications with the MACC and does not refer to them.”
Reuters was unable to verify the content of Aker’s 2018 lawsuit because it was not available for public viewing.
Aker Solutions also said that Petronas had conducted an audit at its unit, Aker Engineering Malaysia Sdn Bhd, in 2017 to verify compliance with licensing requirements.
Aker Solutions said it had briefed Petronas officials on the unit’s management and shareholding structure. Aker Engineering’s license with Petronas was renewed in July 2018 for three years, it added.
The MACC did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Petronas and Aker Solutions declined to comment.
