Six company owners detained and RM7.2 million freezed in accounts linked to illegal e-waste smuggling, with more arrests expected.
KOTA BHARU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has detained six company owners and frozen 14 bank accounts containing RM7.2 million in connection with electronic waste smuggling.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the commission is tracking two more company owners for arrest.
He identified seven companies in Selangor as the masterminds behind the illegal importation of e-waste.
Investigations are also underway into several companies in Negeri Sembilan suspected of similar activities.
Preliminary findings indicate the smuggling syndicates have been operating for about five years.
Azam said the syndicates use various methods, including mixing e-waste with other goods in shipping containers.
He noted that over 3,000 containers are unloaded at Port Klang monthly, complicating enforcement.
MACC is not placing full blame on customs authorities due to the sophisticated tactics used by smugglers.
National laws clearly prohibit the importation of e-waste.
The commission will calculate the profits made by the companies involved for further legal action.
Azam said MACC is adopting a new integrated enforcement approach with the Customs Department and the Department of Environment.
The focus is on combating corruption and preventing government revenue leakages.
“The e-waste issue is not a small matter,” he said at a press conference here.
He stressed it is a shared responsibility to prevent Malaysia from becoming a dumping ground for foreign electronic waste.
This pollution could severely damage the local environment.
The crackdown follows media reports that MACC would intensify probes into illegal e-waste imports.
Intelligence suggests between 2,000 and 3,000 containers of e-waste are smuggled into the country through major ports each month.
