Editor's Note: On July 1, 2019, Albert Tei was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) by the Semenyih Sessions Court.

A 29-year-old bird's nest factory owner has been slapped with 105 charges under the Labour Act 1955 and the National Wages Council Act 2011 at the Klang Magistrate’s Court today.

The accused, Maxim Birdnest factory owner Albert Tei, was absent. He was represented by the company's operations director Pak Wei Chee, who pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Specifically, Tei was charged with 33 counts of unlawful deductions made between December last year to February this year; 11 counts of failing to provide an employment contract; 11 counts of failing to provide a pay slip; 22 counts of failing to pay a minimum wage of RM1,000 for last December and January; as well as 28 counts of failing to pay overtime for last December and January.

If convicted, Tei faces a maximum fine of RM10,000 for each charge, amounting to over RM1 million.

He was earlier accused of committing five offences under both laws against 11 Indonesian employees. The workers were employed at Tei's five-storey factory located at Lorong Gudang Nenas 1, Jalan Pasar, Klang.

"There were in total 163 Indonesian workers at the factory but we (Labour Department) picked only 11 to serve as a lesson," prosecuting officer Siti Nur Alifah Hairuddin said when met by reporters later.

Siti Nur Alifah, who was acting on behalf of the Selangor Labour Department, added that the magistrate Rozianti Mohamed Hanaphi had set July 13 for submission of documents.

Tei was arrested on March 28 following a multi-agency raid which lasted over 10 hours.

It was subsequently reported that a seven-day remand order was obtained for Tei to facilitate investigations under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

It was reported that investigations were also carried out under the Immigration Act 1963, Passports Act 1966 and the Employment Act 1955.

Malaysiakini had, in a joint special report with Tempo magazine from Indonesia, highlighted the alleged exploitation of foreign workers at the factory.

Since then, Malaysiakini understands that all the rescued workers were deported or returned to their hometowns in Indonesia late last month.

Also present in court as observers were representatives from the Selangor Labour Department, Malaysian Trade Union Congress and Indonesia's Human Trafficking Watch.