Greenacre man fined $30,000 for lying to the EPA
Former Royal Demolition and Excavation Pty Ltd director Maher El Masri has been fined $30,000 and ordered to pay $10,000 in legal costs by Parramatta Local Court. Mr El Masri pleaded guilty to providing false and misleading information to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as part of its investigation into waste offences.
The fine follows an investigation by the EPA after it was alerted in August 2019 to alleged illegal dumping at a Rossmore property. When EPA officers inspected the property, which was not permitted to receive waste, they found stockpiles of material.
EPA officers, supported by NSW Police then observed a truck dump waste at the property, which included bricks, timber, concrete, metal, plastic, terracotta pipes and asbestos.
The truck was registered to Royal Lion Transport Limited, a company owned by Mr El Masri’s former business partner, Eman Masri.
On 4 September 2020, the EPA issued a statutory notice to Mr El Masri for information and records regarding the truck attending the property.
On 20 September, the EPA received a response to the Notice from Mr El Masri who made three false statements, namely: that he personally drove the truck, the truck was at the premises to remove timber, and that no material was delivered to the property.
On 5 August 2022, Mr Maher El Masri pleaded guilty to the provision of false and misleading information to the EPA.
He was fined $30,000, ordered to pay the EPA $10,000 in legal costs and to publicise the offence in the Liverpool City Champion local newspaper within 28 days.
For more information about the EPA’s regulatory tools, see the EPA Compliance Policy at http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/legislation/prosguid.htm