JOHOR BARU: A Chinese national has been fined RM20,000 by the Sessions Court here for deceiving the Johor Environment Department (DOE) over the ownership of four shipping containers.
Ascent Asia Industries Sdn Bhd director Chen Long, 48, pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring with one other person, who is also a company director, to deceive the department on Jan 17, 2022.
Chen was accused of lying about his company’s ownership of the containers by claiming that they belonged to another firm.
He apparently did so in an attempt to avoid action under the Environment Quality Act 1974.
The foreigner was first charged in court on Sept 23, where he pleaded not guilty, but he changed his plea to a guilty one on Monday (Nov 10).
The offence was framed under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 417, and is punishable with a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Sessions judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail ordered Chen to pay a fine of RM20,000, in default three months’ jail.
The case was prosecuted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission prosecuting officer Rais Adhar Ramli, while the accused was represented by a lawyer.
