Director pleads not guilty to wildlife deception charges

The Star

16-05-2025

Charged: Chan being escorted out after he pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Kuantan, Pahang. — Bernama
KUANTAN: A company director pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a charge of deceiving the director of the Pahang Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) by concealing details regarding a RM68,000 sale of two white lions and a Eurasian lynx to Melaka Zoo.
Datuk Chan Kong San, 64, made the plea after the charge against him was read before judge Sazlina Shafie.
Chan is accused of deceiving Pahang Perhilitan director Rozidan Md Yasin by concealing the sale of the animals to Melaka Zoo by Sentoria Themeparks and Resorts Sdn Bhd, in violation of the Wildlife Conservation Act.
This led the Pahang Perhilitan director to refrain from obstructing Sentoria Themeparks and Resorts Sdn Bhd's application to transfer protected wildlife under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, as it was presented as a handover to Melaka Zoo.
This was based on a letter titled 'Disposal of Scheduled Wildlife to Zoo Melaka (Species Protected by the WCA 2010)' dated March 11, 2021, Bernama reported.
The director would not have approved the application had he known it involved a sale rather than a transfer.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Pahang Perhilitan office on March 11, 2021.
The charge is framed under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code and is subject to the penalties outlined in Section 417 of the same law, which stipulates a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The deputy public prosecutor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Sharina Farhana Nor Sha'ari, proposed bail set at RM25,000.
This offer included additional conditions requiring Chan to report to the MACC in Putrajaya once a month and to surrender his passport to the court until the case is resolved.
Lawyer Datuk Bob S. Aramugam, representing Chan, appealed for a lower bail on the grounds that his client's business was declining.
The court approved bail of RM15,000 in one surety, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution, and scheduled a mention date for July 29.