Latest news with #EnvironmentalQualityAct1974
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- New Straits Times
Company, two directors charged with illegal disposal of scheduled waste
SEREMBAN: A company and two of its directors were charged in the Sessions court here yesterday with illegal disposal of scheduled waste in Port Dickson last year. Nature Energy Products Sdn Bhd and its two directors, S. Sivanathiran, 62, and Chan Kwai Soon, 47, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam. They were charged with breaching the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations 2005 by disposing of scheduled waste, namely non-halogenated organic solvent waste, without first obtaining approval from the Director-General. The offence was allegedly committed at Lot 11224, Mukim Jimah, Port Dickson at 4.30 pm on Oct 14, 2024. The charge, under Section 34B(1)(a), Environmental Quality Act 1974, is punishable under Section 34B (4) of the same law, which provides imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to RM10 million upon conviction. The court allowed them bail of RM9,000 with one surety each and also ordered them to report to the Negri Sembilan Department of Environment (DoE) every month, as well as not to intimidate witnesses either in person or through a third party. The court also set July 3 for mention. Deputy public prosecutor Nurliyana R. Azmi, from DoE, prosecuted, while Sivanathiran, who is a former Negri Sembilan (DoE) deputy director, and Chan, were represented by lawyers Haresh Mahadevan dan Ramzani Idris. - BERNAMA
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Company, two directors charged with illegal disposal of scheduled waste
SEREMBAN: A company and two of its directors were charged in the Sessions Court here today with illegal disposal of scheduled waste in Port Dickson last year. Nature Energy Products Sdn Bhd and its two directors, S. Sivanathiran, 62, and Chan Kwai Soon, 47, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam. They were charged with breaching the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations 2005 by disposing of scheduled waste, namely non-halogenated organic solvent waste, without first obtaining approval from the Director General. The offence was allegedly committed at Lot 11224, Mukim Jimah, Port Dickson at 4.30 pm on Oct 14, 2024. The charge, under Section 34B(1)(a), Environmental Quality Act 1974, is punishable under Section 34B (4) of the same law, which provides imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to RM10 million upon conviction. The court allowed them bail of RM9,000 with one surety each and also ordered them to report to the Negeri Sembilan Department of Environment (DOE) every month, as well as not to intimidate witnesses either in person or through a third party. The court also set July 3 for mention. Deputy public prosecutor JAS Nurliyana R. Azmi, from DOE, appeared for the prosecution, while Sivanathiran, who is a former Negeri Sembilan (DOE) deputy director, and Chan, were represented by lawyers Haresh Mahadevan dan Ramzani Idris.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Company charged with illegal disposal of scheduled waste
SEREMBAN: A company and two of its directors were charged in the Sessions Court here today with illegal disposal of scheduled waste in Port Dickson last year. Nature Energy Products Sdn Bhd and its two directors, S. Sivanathiran, 62, and Chan Kwai Soon, 47, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam. They were charged with breaching the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations 2005 by disposing of scheduled waste, namely non-halogenated organic solvent waste, without first obtaining approval from the Director General. The offence was allegedly committed at Lot 11224, Mukim Jimah, Port Dickson at 4.30 pm on Oct 14, 2024. The charge, under Section 34B(1)(a), Environmental Quality Act 1974, is punishable under Section 34B (4) of the same law, which provides imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to RM10 million upon conviction. The court allowed them bail of RM9,000 with one surety each and also ordered them to report to the Negeri Sembilan Department of Environment (DOE) every month, as well as not to intimidate witnesses either in person or through a third party. The court also set July 3 for mention. Deputy public prosecutor JAS Nurliyana R. Azmi, from DOE, appeared for the prosecution, while Sivanathiran, who is a former Negeri Sembilan (DOE) deputy director, and Chan, were represented by lawyers Haresh Mahadevan dan Ramzani Idris.
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Company, two directors charged with dumping hazardous waste in PD
SEREMBAN: A company and its two directors, including a former state Environment Department (DOE) deputy director, claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to a charge of illegally dumping hazardous wastes. Nature Energy Products Sdn Bhd and its directors S. Sivanathiran, 62, who was former state DOE deputy director, and Chan Kwai Soon, 47, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to them before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam. Chan also represented the company. They were charged with dumping the waste (code SW322) on Lot 11224, in Jimah, Port Dickson at around 4.30pm on Oct 14, 2024. SW322 refers to "waste of non-halogenated organic solvents". This classification falls under the broader category of hazardous waste and requires specific handling and disposal procedures. The company and both directors were charged under Section 34B(1)(a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA) which prohibits the placement, deposit, or disposal of scheduled waste without the approval of the Director-General of Environment. Section 34B(1)(a) directly addresses the illegal disposal of scheduled wastes, which are hazardous materials designated by the government. Offenders can be jailed up to five years and fined between RM100,000 and RM10mil upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor from the DOE Nurliyana R. Azmi then told the court the offence was non-bailable but left it to the court's discretion. She said in the event the court allowed bail, her team proposed an amount of RM50,000 for each director. She also asked the court to order the directors to surrender their passports and to not contact prosecution witnesses. Lawyer Ramzani Idris, who represented the accused, then asked the court to impose bail adding that the directors have been cooperative in the department's probe. Haresh Mahadevan, who assisted Ramzani, then got up to say that the directors should not be asked to surrender their passports as both were businessmen who travelled often. Sivanathiran, he added, was a retired government servant and was not a flight risk. He said if the court were to impose bail, an amount of RM5,000 was sufficient. Judge Mohamad Kamil then set bail at RM9,000 each for the directors and fixed July 3 for mention. He also ordered the duo to report to the nearest DOE office monthly until the case is disposed of and to stay away from prosecution witnesses.
![[UPDATED] Nik Nazmi resigns as cabinet minister](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fnikka_NSTfield_image_socialmedia.var_1748420399.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Nik Nazmi resigns as cabinet minister
KUALA LUMPUR: Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has resigned as natural resources and environmental sustainability minister. The Setiawangsa member of parliament said he had submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Nik Nazmi said the resignation will take effect on July 4. "I will be on leave starting tomorrow until July 3. "Since being appointed to the cabinet, first as the natural resources, environment and climate change (from December 2022 to December 2023), and later as the natural resources and environmental sustainability (from December 2023 to July 2025), I have done my utmost, alongside the deputy minister and dedicated civil servants, to implement much-needed reforms," he said in a statement today. Nik Nazmi, who lost the PKR vice-president post in the recent party election, said he was aware that the position was a key factor in his cabinet appointment. He said he decided to step down as the minister as he was not re-elected to the post. "I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the dedicated civil servants, my outstanding team, and all parties across the public sector, private sector, and civil society who have taught me so much and made possible the implementation of numerous important reforms during this period. "We have consistently strived to adopt an open, consultative approach in shaping policies and introducing legislation." He said among the key achievements of these two ministries are the phase 1 amendments to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and improvements in transparency concerning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reporting. He said Malaysia also became one of the earliest countries to submit its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) to combat environmental degradation. A significant reduction in deforestation rates has also received recognition from the United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, he said. "Just weeks after taking office, we successfully implemented the targeted restructuring of electricity subsidies under the Imbalance Cost Pass Through (ICPT) mechanism in Peninsular Malaysia. "We also passed the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act in the Dewan Rakyat." He said the ministry also introduced the much-needed Tariff Setting Mechanism in the water sector. Nik Nazmi said the ministry initiated the drafting of the National Climate Change Bill, which is now in its final stages before being tabled to the cabinet and parliament. "I now look forward to resuming my responsibilities as a member of parliament and focusing on serving my constituency in Setiawangsa. "To borrow the words of the late British MP, Tony Benn, I left the cabinet to devote more time to politics and public service."
