KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — A frozen food manufacturing company was fined RM135,000 by the Sessions Court today after being found guilty of discharging industrial effluent containing oil and suspended solids two years ago.
Judge Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin imposed the sentence after ruling that the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt against Ramly Food Processing Sdn Bhd, which was represented by its manager Shaiful Azwa Zakaria, 49, at the end of the defence case.
“The court imposes a fine of RM65,000 for the first charge and RM70,000 for the second charge on the company,” she said.
According to the charges, the company was alleged to have discharged industrial effluent containing oil and grease with a concentration of 17.9 milligrams per litre (mg/l), exceeding the Standard B limit of 10 mg/l, into Malaysian inland waters at its premises in Batu Caves at 1.20am on July 20, 2024.
For the second charge, it was accused of discharging industrial effluent containing suspended solids with a concentration of 228 mg/l, exceeding the Standard B limit of 100 mg/l, into inland waters at the same location, date, and time.
Both charges were brought under Regulation 11(1)(b) of the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluents) Regulations 2009 and are punishable under Regulation 32 of the same Act, which provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years or both.
A total of three prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses testified during the trial, which began on June 30 last year.
The prosecution was conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Environment Department prosecuting officers Mohd Ridzuan Zainal and Norliza Ismail, while lawyer Maznah Kamarudin represented the company.
