TAWAU: The High Court here on Wednesday heard testimony that the Department of Minerals and Geoscience (JMG) approved the Operational Mining Scheme (OMS) for Wullersdorf Resources Sdn. Bhd. (WRSB) only after being satisfied that the company had sufficient operational rights, while the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval remains valid.
The evidence was given by the plaintiffs’ fourth witness, Wong Ji Yung, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) and current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of AuMas and WRSB said this was based on his understanding of JMG’s OMS approval process.
According to Wong, WRSB submitted the first injunction order as part of its OMS application to demonstrate that, pending the outcome of the related legal proceedings, the company retained the right to continue using the facilities built for its mining operations.
He told the court that JMG had taken the injunction into consideration, noting that the OMS approval contains a clause stating that it remains valid until its expiry date or until the outcome of the related legal proceedings.
The testimony formed part of the ongoing civil trial involving AuMas Resources Berhad and Wullersdorf Resources Sdn. Bhd. (WRSB), with proceedings being heard before Judicial Commissioner Steve Ritikos.
The plaintiffs are represented by Norbert Yapp & Associates together with Azimi Yahya, while the defendants are represented by Andy Tay & Associates, Lawrence Chai, and Peter Soong & Partners.
The High Court subsequently adjourned the trial until July 27, when the cross-examination of the plaintiffs’ consulting mining engineer, Ir. Dr. Selamat Aliman, is scheduled to continue.
