4 directors, workshop manager charged over Sungai Gong pollution

Four company directors and a workshop manager were charged in the Selayang Sessions Court today in connection with the recent pollution of Sungai Gong which resulted in a disruption to water supply for more than 1.2 million people.

They are brothers Yip Kok Wai, 53; Yip Kok Mun, 58; Yip Kok Kuin, 70; and Yip Kok Wong, 60, 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.

All five pleaded not guilty before judge Syafeera Mohd Said.

On the first count, they were charged under Section 430 of the Penal Code with committing mischief by causing hazardous waste from the workshop to flow into Sungai Gong, causing a diminution of water supply for human consumption.

They were charged with committing the act at a workshop at Kg Sungai Dua, Rawang between Sept 2 and 3.

If found guilty, they face imprisonment of up to 30 years, a fine or both.

They were also jointly charged with discharging environmentally hazardous substances from the workshop into a waterway, which then flowed into Sungai Gong, without a licence.

The charge was made under Section 25 (1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both upon conviction.

All five were denied bail. The court set Oct 27 for mention.