KUANTAN: A company director pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to a charge of deceiving the Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director by hiding details about the sale of two white lions and a Eurasian lynx to Melaka Zoo for RM68,000, four years ago.
Datuk Chan Kong San, 64, made the plea after the charge against him was read before judge Sazlina Shafie on Thursday (May 15).
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 for RM68,000, in violation of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
The act resulted in Rozidan not blocking Sentoria Themeparks and Resorts Sdn Bhd's application to transfer protected wildlife under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, by presenting it 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.
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 state Perhilitan office on March 11, 2021. The charge is framed under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code (Act 574) and is punishable under Section 417 of the same law, which provides for a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Sharina Farhana Nor Sha'ari offered bail of RM25,000 with additional conditions to report to the MACC Putrajaya once a month and to surrender his passport to the court until the disposal of the case.
However, lawyer Datuk Bob S. Aramugam, representing Chan, appealed for a lower bail on the grounds that his client's business was declining.
The court granted bail of RM15,000 in one surety along with additional conditions as requested by the prosecution and set a mention date of July 29. - Bernama
