Condo management firm fined RM8,500 for ignoring notices
KOTA KINABALU: A management company was fined a total of RM8,500 by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday.
The fine was over five offences, namely failing to fix and label the water pumps, alarm system and lamps as well as failing to open one final exit door at a condominium after being served Fire Hazard Abatement Notices issued by the director of Fire and Rescue Department.
Magistrate Afiq Agoes imposed RM1,700 fine, in default, two weeks’ jail each for the five cases after a representative from the management admitted to all the offences yesterday.
The court also ordered for the company to pay RM100 everyday if it failed to comply with the notices.
In the first case, the company had failed to fix its duty and standby pumps for Hose Reel System 50 days from the date notices were issued on March 29, 2017.
In the second case, the company failed to fix its jockey and standby pumps for Wet Riser System also 50 days after being served the notices.
The third case stated that the company did not comply with the notices after failing to make labelling of Cut-In-and-Cut-Out on its water pumps for hose reel system and wet riser system 20 days after being served the notices.
The fourth case stated that the company had failed to fix its carbon dioxide alarm system and discharge/normal lamps at a genset room at the condominium 20 days after being served the notices.
For the fifth case, the company had failed to open the final exit door at the stairs number one at the condominium 20 days after being served the notices.
All the offences were under Section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1988 which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up to three months or both and also liable to an additional fine of RM100 everyday if the offences continuously happened after conviction.
The company had committed all the offences on March 20, 2017.
In pleading for a lenient sentence, the representative of the company, who was its former director took responsibility as his name was there when the management was set up.
He explained that it was not that he was not complying with the notices to fix these items but claimed that the management did not have enough money to do them.
He also claimed that the cost of replacing the hose pumps was around RM30,000 and the money collected by the management only enough to cover basic management expenses.
Fire and Rescue Department prosecuting officer Mohd Alfian Salioh pressed for a deterrent sentence be imposed on the company.
The prosecution also submitted that the company had previous conviction under the same Act in 2016.
On February 26, the company was fined a total of RM10,500, in default, 15 months’ jail after they pleaded guilty through its counsel to three counts of failing to open its grill gates at two final exit doors 20 days after notices were served to them.