JOHOR BARU: Two directors and a lorry driver of a used tyre-processing company were charged at the sessions court today over the dumping of chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang.
The three accused are Singaporean Wang Jin Chao, 34, and Malaysians Yap Yoke Liang, 36, and N. Maridass, 35, who is a lorry driver.
According to the charge sheet, Maridass was accused of illegally disposing of chemicals into Sungai Kim Kim on March 7. Wang and Yap are accused of conspiring with Maridass.
All three were charged under Section 34B(1)(a) of the Environment Quality Act 1974, while Yap and Wang were also charged under Section 42 of the same act.
All pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before judge Hakim Jailani Rahman.
Johor police chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd also confirmed that the three charged in court were among 11 suspects related to the case, including the factory operators, as well as workers who carried out the dumping activities.
The seven suspects who were previously detained have since been released.
Mohd Khalil said police are hunting for another Singaporean in his 30s to facilitate the probe.
“We are tracking down the man and will be conducting further investigation in this case. We understand that three men, including a Singaporean, were charged in court,” he told a press conference at the state police contingent headquarters today.
