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

The Klang Magistrate’s Court has set Aug 17 as the next date to hear a case against Maxim Birdnest Sdn Bhd, involving 105 charges under the Labour Act 1955 and the National Wages Council Act 2011.

When contacted, Selangor Labour Department director Mohd Asri Abd Wahab said magistrate Rozianti Mohamed Hanaphi had set the date after a case management session yesterday.

“The company representative pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested a trial.

“The magistrate then set RM500 bail for each charge, amounting to RM52,500 for 105 charges,” Mohd Asri told Malaysiakini, adding that prosecuting officer Siti Nur Alifah Hairuddin had acted on behalf of the Selangor Labour Department.

He also clarified that the charges were brought against Maxims Birdnest as a company instead of its owner, 29-year-old Albert Tei, as reported earlier. 

“The OKS (defendant) is Maxims Birdnest. The company can be represented in court by any of its directors,” he added.

Maxims Birdnest operations director Pak Wei Chee had appeared on behalf of the company when the charges involving offences against 11 Indonesian migrant workers was first mentioned on June 15.

Specifically, the 105 charges comprise 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, the company faces a maximum fine of RM10,000 for each charge, amounting to over RM1 million.

The workers, who have since been deported following a multi-agency raid on March 28, were employed at the factory’s five-storey building located at Lorong Gudang Nenas 1, Jalan Pasar, Klang.

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

Mohd Asri declined to comment when asked if the factory is still allowed to carry out its operations as usual, stating that it is unrelated to ongoing proceedings.