SUNGAI PETANI: The Sessions Court here today fined a scrap metal recycling company RM40,000 for operating without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval from the Department of Environment (DoE) in Gurun three years ago.
Judge Azman Abu Hassan passed the sentence after the company director pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 34A(6) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, which carries a fine of up to RM500,000 or a jail term not more than five years, or both, upon conviction.
In a statement, state DOE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said according to the charge sheet, the company had committed the offence on March 2, 2021, in the Gurun Industrial Zone.
She said the company director had pleaded for leniency as the company had since submitted the EIA report, which was subsequently approved by the department on April 28, 2022.
The prosecution officer from the state DOE urged the court to impose a severe sentence as the company's activities had contributed to air pollution and caused discomfort to nearby residents.
Both the company and its director were not named in the statement.