A landowner’s attempt to bribe a Department of Environment (DOE) officer to overlook an illegal e-waste operation has backfired after she was fined RM75,000 by the Sessions Court today.
Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud imposed the fine on Chan Suit Cheong, 61, after she pleaded guilty to an alternative charge brought against her.
The accused was charged with offering RM15,000 in cash to a Senior Environmental Control Officer from DOE Putrajaya as an inducement to conceal offences involving the operation of an e-waste premises without a valid licence under Section 18(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
The offence was committed at a site involving three plots of land in Telok Panglima Garang, Johan Setia, Klang, on Feb 25 last year.
The charge was framed under Section 214 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Based on the case facts, a DOE inspection at a land lot rented out by Chan to a Chinese national uncovered piles of electronic waste, including used printers and dismantled printed circuit boards.
During the inspection, the accused failed to produce valid documents proving the legality of the operation before allegedly taking out a packet containing RM15,000 cash and placing it on a table as a bribe to prevent enforcement action from being taken against the company.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Arif Asyraf Mohd Khairi, while the accused was represented by lawyer S. Preakas.
