The report by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation said the country’s justice minister Simonetta Sommaruga had authorised to prosecute Justo, amid a debate in Switzerland on the extent of which whistleblowers can be protected in cases involving corporate corruption.

The report said an investigation into Justo, who in 2015 leaked 1MDB-related documents from PetroSaudi International, was opened in November last year.

Justo, who was arrested for leaking the documents from the oil and gas firm, was later jailed in Thailand for allegedly demanding payment in exchange for not disclosing confidential information.

Last month, The Edge Media Group chairman gave Justo a gift of US$2 million (RM8.2 million) for his role in exposing the 1MDB scandal.

“Without him, the wrongdoings involving 1MDB, as exposed by The Edge, would not have come to light,” said the media company’s chairman Tong Kooi Ong.