PUTRAJAYA, Jan 6 — The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has completed its probe into alleged misconduct by Environment Department (DOE) officers who authorised the release of e-waste containers at Westports, Port Klang.
In a statement today, the EAIC said it received information about the alleged offence in May and formed a task force under Section 17 of the EAIC Act 2009 to investigate the claim.
“The probe revealed that the containers, believed to contain e-waste, remained at Westport, Port Klang. EAIC also confirmed the DOE officers attempted to release the containers without proper authority or valid justification,” said the EAIC.
Findings showed internal leaks of information on the transfer of directors or officers, with new officers expected to release the containers, it added.
The commission also discovered that top DOE managers failed to act on the leaks, leading to delays in concluding the investigation.
It emphasised that this was due to supervisory weaknesses, which could have resulted in losses to the government and worsened environmental pollution.
As a result, the EAIC has referred recommendations for disciplinary action against the officers to the High-Level Management Disciplinary Authority through Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
“The EAIC also recommends improvements to the DOE’s standard operating procedure and enforcement directives, to be submitted to the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry secretary-general for further action,” it said.
— Bernama