KLSCAH president among 4 charged with releasing waste into river

 

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) president Ong Seng Khek was among the four directors of a used palm oil processing plant charged with releasing waste from the premises into Sungai Kundang, Rawang, without a permit.

Apart from Ong, 71, the others charged at the Selayang Sessions Court today were Low Sze Wai, 66, Siow Lee Chen, 66, and Ong Chee Ming, 34.

According to Bernama, all four pleaded not guilty to the charge read out to them before Sessions judge Syafeera Mohd Said.

The three men and a woman were charged with the joint intention of releasing waste from the premises of Syarikat United Fineoleo Sdn Bhd into a ditch that flows into Sungai Kundang, without a permit, at the company's premises at Lot 19701, Jalan KPK 1/3, Kundang Industrial Estate, Kundang Jaya, Gombak, Selangor, on Oct 22.

The charge was filed in accordance with Section 25 (1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and is punishable under Section 25 (3) of the same law, which provides a fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment for up to four years, or both.

DPP Nurul Ain Shafie offered bail of RM50,000 for each accused with one surety, with the additional conditions of reporting every month to a nearby police station and submitting their passports to the court until the case is completed.

Counsel SY Ong, who represented all four accused, applied for the bail amount to be reduced to RM5,000 each on the grounds that her clients cooperated with the authorities throughout the investigation.

"All my clients are company directors aged between 60 and 70 years old," Ong added.

The court allowed each accused a bail of RM50,000 with a different surety, with the additional conditions that their passports be handed over to the court, that they are prohibited from harassing the prosecution witnesses and to report to the nearest police station every month until the case is completed.

"The accused are also prohibited from committing other criminal offences and the bails will be revoked if the conditions are violated," said the judge, who set Dec 7 for re-mention of the case.

Following this, the four also claimed trial to a separate charge at the Rawang Magistrate's Court on allowing eight undocumented migrants to be in the premises without legal permission.

According to the charge, the directors were charged with the common intention of allowing the eight undocumented Myanmar migrants to be in the premises, without legal permission, at 3pm on Oct 26.

They were charged under Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which is punishable under Section 55E (2) of the same Act, which carries a fine of RM5,000 to RM30,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both, for each migrant. 

DPP Khairunnisak Hassni offered bail of RM5,000 to each accused with one surety while Ong applied for the bail amount to be reduced on the grounds that her clients’ company had been wound up and had no business abroad.

The court allowed each accused a bail of RM5,000 with a different surety and set Dec 7 for re-mention of the case.

Prior to this, the media reported that the initial investigation by the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) found that the odour pollution of the river water was caused by bio-diesel material exceeding 10 TON (threshold odour number), suspected to be in the water flowing from the Kundang Jaya industrial area.

Tracking of the pollution led to a factory in the Kundang Jaya industrial area, which was later subjected to a letter of instruction under Section 121 (1) of the Luas Enactment 1999 to immediately stop the effluent discharge as well as to carry out immediate cleaning actions. - Mkini