MACC chief: DOE DG, deputy in e-waste probe set to be charged tomorrow

The Environment Department (DOE) director-general and deputy director-general are expected to be charged tomorrow following investigations into e-waste management, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said.

Expressing his hope that there would be no last-minute changes, he said the duo will likely be charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.

“I expect a new (DOE) director-general to be appointed after the two of them are charged,” he said, adding that Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar will decide on the matter.

He was speaking to reporters after a media engagement session with the Multi-Agency Task Force at MACC headquarters in Putrajaya this morning.

On March 25, Azam said the MACC had completed its probe into the allegations of abuse of power and corruption involving e-waste management, believed to have occurred over several years.

The investigation papers had been finalised and sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for its recommendation for charges, he said in a statement.

On Jan 30, the pair, along with an assistant environmental control officer, were remanded for seven days.

Their arrests followed MACC’s proposal for a six-month pause on all imports of plastic waste and e-waste to assess the actual impact of these imports on the country.

Law enforcement at ports

Commenting further, Azam said the Special Task Force on the Direction of Enforcement Management Roadmap for Plastic and E-Waste Imports will continue to enforce existing laws at ports.

“We are also looking at other ports such as in Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, and even Kuantan,” he added.

The task force, chaired by Azam, was established following investigations into the smuggling of e-waste, including reports of hundreds of abandoned containers at ports.

Azam said there are more than 800 abandoned e-waste containers still stranded in Port Klang, Selangor.

Efforts to dispose of them by sending them back to the export country are still underway, he said.

Yesterday, the Customs Department announced that the ban on importing e-waste came into effect the same day.

In a statement, director-general Amran Ahmad said the ban was gazetted under the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023.

“This move is in line with decisions reached by the Special Task Force on the Direction of Enforcement Management Roadmap for Plastic and E-Waste Imports, as part of efforts to tighten control over the entry of hazardous waste into the country and protect the environment,” he said.

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