4 CHARGED OVER RIVER POLLUTION
United Fineoleo directors plead not guilty to releasing waste into Sg Kundang without licence
FOUR directors of a palm oil processing company were charged at the Selayang Sessions Court yesterday in connection with the pollution of Sungai Kundang in Rawang. Ong Seng Khek, 71, Low Sze Wai, 66, Ong Chee Ming, 34, and Siow Lee Chen, 66, pleaded not guilty before judge Syafeera Mohd Said.
According to the charge sheet, the four had with common intention released waste from the premises of their company, United Fineoleo Sdn Bhd, to a drain that led to Sungai Kundang without a licence.
The offence was allegedly committed at United Fineoleo, Lot 19701, Jalan KPK 1/3, Kawasan Perindustrian Kundang, Kundang Jaya, in Gombak, Selangor, on Oct 22.
They were jointly charged under Section 25(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which carries a jail sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to RM100,000 or both, if convicted.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Ain Shafie offered RM50,000 bail to each accused with additional conditions which were for them to surrender their passports to the court, report to the police station each month and to not approach witnesses until the disposal of the case.
In pleading for minimum bail, counsel S.Y. Ong, who represented all the accused, said her clients would not abscond since the Conditional Movement Control Order was in place.
She added that her clients were unable to post such a high bail amount since their company had ceased operations and they no longer had business inside or outside the country.
“Most of them are in their 60s or 70s and they can’t afford to pay any compensation,” she said, pleading that RM5,000 bail instead be imposed on each of her clients.
Syafeera, however, set the bail at RM50,000 with one surety for each accused and imposed all the additional conditions proposed by the prosecution.
In the magistrate’s court, the four accused also claimed trial to harbouring eight illegal Myanmar immigrants without valid permits under Section 55E(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The offence was allegedly committed at the same place at 3pm on Oct 26.
The directors face a fine of between RM5,000 and RM30,000, or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or both for each illegal immigrant found on the premises, if found guilty.
Deputy public prosecutor Khairunnisak Hassni offered RM5,000 bail to each accused, which magistrate Hafizah Rajuni agreed to with one surety each.
Their cases will be up for mention on Dec 7.
It was reported that 11 people were arrested at a palm oil processing plant in connection with the pollution detected at Sungai Kundang.
Preliminary investigation by Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (Luas) found that the odour pollution was caused by biodiesel substance of over 10 TON (threshold odour number) in the flow from the Kundang Jaya industrial area.
Further investigations by Luas and Air Selangor Sdn Bhd into a nearby premises found the same odour pollution of up to 10 TON in its final discharge.