KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The four company directors and a manager of a heavy machinery workshop who were charged in the Selayang Session Court here today in connection with the pollution in Sungai Gong were not allowed bail.
Judge Syafeera Mohd Said refused them bail after considering the submissions by deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and the lawyer for the five accused, Datuk M Reza Hassan.
The accused are brothers Yip Kok Wai, 53; Yip Kok Mun, 58; Yip Kok Kuin, 70; and Yip Kok Wong, 60, who are the board of directors of Yip Chee Seng & Sons Sdn Bhd, and Ho Voon Leong, 59, who is the manager of the company’s workshop.
The five men, who were in the dock, were seen looking at one another after hearing the decision by Syafeera in not allowing them bail.
The five men were then taken to the Bentong Prison in Pahang.
Muhamad Iskandar did not request for bail on grounds that the case was unbailable.
“This case caused six million residents in Malaysia to be without water supply for five days. This issue also received the attention of the country’s leadership.
“If the court disagreed with my submission, I request the court to impose bail of RM2 million each,” he added.
However, M. Reza appealed for a low bail, saying that his clients had cooperated with the police during the investigation.
“My clients surrendered themselves to the police and they are also prepared to surrender their passports to the court,” he added.
All the five men had pleaded not guilty to the charges made against them.
On the first count, they were all charged under Section 430 of the Penal Code with committing mischief by causing hazardous substances from the workshop to flow into Sungai Gong, hence causing a diminution of water supply for human consumption.
They were charged with committing the act at the workshop at Kg Sungai Dua, Rawang, near here between last Sept 2 and 3.
If found guilty, they face an imprisonment for up to 30 years or with fine, or both.
The five men were also jointly charged with emitting environmentally hazardous substances from the workshop into a waterway, which then flowed into Sungai Gong, without a licence at the same place and time.
The charge was made under Section 25 (1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which provides a maximum fine of RM100,000, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, if found guilty.
The pollution in Sungai Gong forced Air Selangor to close the operation of four water treatment plants, at Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2, 3 and Rantau Panjang, resulting in unscheduled water supply disruption in1,292 areas in the Klang valley.
— NNN-BERNAMA
