Malaysia: Aker Solutions manager acquitted of charges over misleading Petronas

The Sessions Court of Malaysia has discharged Aker Solutions’ manager of charges that he submitted false documents in dealings with state-owned energy giant Petronas.

The court found that the charge was vague, misleading, and did not state the particulars of the offense, and therefore did not fulfill the provisions under the Penal Code.

According to Aker Solutions, the court further found the charge to be groundless and fundamentally defective.

“Our colleague Hatta Kamaruzzaman and Aker Solutions have objected to the charge from the start, and we are pleased to see that the court has concluded the same way. The last few months have been very challenging for Hatta and his family, and we are glad that this ordeal can now be put behind them,” said Anders Hannevik, executive vice president and head of customers and strategy at Aker Solutions.

The case came amid investigations into whether the Norwegian company provided false information regarding the ownership of one of its entities to win Petronas licenses.

The Aker Solutions manager was charged in June due to allegations that he had submitted documents in August 2018 intended to mislead a Petronas subsidiary that Aker Engineering Malaysia would qualify as a Bumiputera-owned firm when it did not.

To remind, Aker Solutions has six subsidiaries registered in Malaysia, where its Asia Pacific headquarters is based.