Golden Lead Fish Meal Processing Company has been slapped with a four-count charge sheet over their alleged violation of the environmental laws of the country at the Brikama Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The chargers are withholding information about management of waste, discharging substance of waste water into the sea, polluting the environment and failure to keep record of their company activities.
The company denied any wrongdoing.
The National Environment Agency, that dragged the institution to court, has accused it of discharging waste water from their processing plant into the sea at the Gunjur Beach, an act which was reportedly “unknown to the authorities”.
NEA further accused the company of discharging waste water into the sea through connected pipes without authority.
The NEA also alleged that the Golden Lead has equally failed to keep records of its activities, products and waste which it was required to do by the environment laws of the country.
The case was adjourned to July 4 for hearing following requests from the Golden Lead, whose lawyer is reportedly out of jurisdiction.
The Company was granted bail at a tune of D1 million with a Gambian surety who would present a national identity to the court registrar.
Golden Lead has recently come under huge criticisms by environmental activists and some residents of Kartong and Gunjur who accused the company of disposing suspected toxic waste into the sea via pipes, resulting in the washing ashore of dead fish along the coastline.
The company has always denied any wrongdoing.
Members of the two villages and environmentalists held a demonstration against the company, calling on the government to relocate the company as well as stop the building of a similar company in nearby village of Kartong.
Government has also come under huge criticisms for not reportedly taken action against the company.
