A Taiwanese corporation has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges including knowingly discharging oily bilge waste into Pago Pago Harbor without using proper pollution prevention equipment.
Koo's Shipping Company's plea took place before the Honorable Gladys Kessler in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The company was sentenced to pay a 750,000 US dollar criminal fine and pay 250,000 dollars towards community service projects in American Samoa, and was placed on probation for three years.
The community service payment will be split equally between the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for environmental restoration and protection projects in American Samoa.
Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno said Koo's is paying a just price for knowingly discharging oily waste into the ecologically sensitive harbor of Pago Pago.
