Electrical waste fraudster ordered to repay over £1.3 million
A previously convicted waste criminal has been ordered to repay a large sum for defrauding government-backed household electrical waste recycling schemes.
The confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 was brought by the Environment Agency after a financial investigation into the profit Terry Soloman Dugbo made from defrauding the electrical waste recycling industry. The investigation found that Dugbo had defrauded the industry of £2.2 million.
Dugbo was found guilty in 2016 of falsifying paperwork from his Leeds-based firm, TLC Recycling LTD, to illegitimately claim money through government-backed Producer Compliance Schemes for collecting and recycling over 19,500 tonnes of household electrical waste during 2011. In reality, the company had never handled the amounts of waste described and he was not entitled to the fees.
Dugbo has never been able to provide credible evidence to show what happened to the proceeds of his fraud.
The financial investigation into Dugbo’s realisable assets suggest he had benefitted £1,373,060.09 from his crimes. Environment Agency officers worked closely with HMRC, uncovering bank accounts in Nigeria, Senegal and Spain.
Mr Dugbo had contested the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 proceedings since 2016. He had also tried to reduce the previous benefits totalling more than £96,000 for convictions for VAT fraud in 2014 at Leeds Crown Court and exporting hazardous waste to Nigeria in 2011 at Basildon Crown Court.
During the current proceedings, the court heard Mr Dugbo had misled both courts by claiming that his assets had already been used to satisfy both of the earlier court orders when they had not.
The Judge in the proceedings ruled that Dugbo had claimed to have gambled away much of the assets he had acquired during the fraud, which the court rejected.
Order
Terry Soloman Dugbo who is currently serving seven years and six months in prison for environmental crimes for his fraudulent deeds was ordered to pay back £1,373,060.09 or face a further eight years in prison.
Operator of Middlesbrough mechanic and end-of-life vehicle business fined for permit breaches
A Teesside man has been fined after breaching an environmental permit and then failing to comply with an enforcement notice in Middlesbrough.
Environment Agency officers visited the site, which was a mechanic business which also dealt with scrap vehicles and oil contaminated vehicles parts, on 9 March 2017. Officers noted a number of issues, including:
- a damaged concrete surface and no containment bund, meaning any fluids from end of life vehicles would run from the site on to the road outside;
- there was no drainage system;
- batteries and waste oil were being stored inappropriately; and
- there was evidence of recent and long term oil spills which hadn’t been cleaned up.
The Environment Agency sent a report of their visit to the man, telling him what action needed to be carried out by April 2017 to bring the site back into compliance.
The Environment Agency returned to the site on 5 May 2017. The various improvements had not been completed.
A month later an Enforcement Notice was served with three requirements – namely to appoint a Technically Competent Manager (by 1 July 2017) and to repair the impermeable concrete surface and create a bund, and install a sealed drainage system (both by 30 November 2017).
On 4 December 2017 the Environment Agency visited the site again to find the issues had still not been rectified and further evidence of oil spills that had not been cleaned up.
Charges
Fazel Hussain was charged with breaching the permit for M&M Autos in Middlesbrough and failing to comply with an enforcement notice to make improvements.
Penalty
Fazel Hussain was fined £800, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £5,000.
Natural Resources Wales revokes scrap yard permit
Natural Resources Wales has shut down a scrap yard operated by Clwyd Breakers Ltd in Ruabon, north east Wales to stop pollution of the local environment.
The regulator had labelled the yard as one of the worst performing waste sites in Wales. Despite repeated attempted by the regulator, the operators continued to breach their environmental permit.
Issues identified by Natural Resources Wales officers included visible oil pollution across the site, inadequate storage of polluting oils and fluids and other wastes and the failure to de-pollute cars properly. Additionally, the site was not subject to a fire prevention plan.
Some oils and other polluting fluids were also found to be being washed into drains. These eventually flowed via the Afon Goch and Black Brook into the Afon Clywedog and the Dee, threatening wildlife.
Action taken
Natural Resources Wales revoked the site’s permit. Therefore, the Clwyd Breakers Ltd may no longer store or dismantle cars which have reached the end of their life.
The site has now been cleared and Natural Resources Wales has concluded it no longer poses a threat to the local environment.
Furthermore, Natural Resources Wales has begun an investigation into another suspected illegal waste site in the area and potential links to the now cleared site.
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