Ong Seng Khek, 71, Low Sze Wai, 66, Siow Lee Chen, 66, and Ong Chee Ming, 34, each pleaded not guilty to the charge read out to them before Judge Syafeera Mohd Said at the Selayang Sessions Court November 9, 2020. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Four directors of a used palm oil processing plant company were charged in the Selayang Sessions Court, here, today for releasing waste from the premises into Sungai Kundang, Rawang without a permit.

Ong Seng Khek, 71, Low Sze Wai, 66, Siow Lee Chen, 66, and Ong Chee Ming, 34, each pleaded not guilty to the charge read out to them before 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 which would flow into Sungai Kundang, Rawang without a permit at the company’s premises at Lot 19701, Jalan KPK 1/3, Kundang Industrial Estate, Kundang Jaya, Gombak, here, 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 act which provides a fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment for up to four years or both, upon conviction.

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

Counsel S.Y. Ong, representing all the accused, applied for the bail amount to be reduced to RM5,000 for each accused on the grounds that her clients co-operated well with the authorities throughout the investigation.

"All my clients are company directors who are between 60 and 70 years old,” she said.

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 and they were prohibited from harassing the prosecution witnesses and to report at 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,” Judge Syafeera said and set Dec 7 for re-mention of the case.

Before Magistrate Nur Hafizah Rajuni, the four directors of the company each pleaded not guilty to a charge of allowing eight illegal immigrants to be in the premises without legal permission.

According to the charge, the three men and the woman were charged with the common intention of allowing the eight illegal Myanmar immigrants to be in the premises without legal permission at 3pm, on October 26.

They were charged under Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and could be punished 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 immigrant, upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Khairunnisak Hassni offered bail of RM5,000 to each accused with one surety while counsel S.Y. Ong, representing all the accused, 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 December 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 water flowing from the Kundang Jaya industrial area.

A 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. — Bernama