The charges have been brought by the Environment Agency under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 and European Waste Shipment Regulations 2006.
The Agency has said with reference to the case: “The law is clear that broken electricals, including everyday items such as mobiles, smart phones, laptops and TVs, cannot be sent overseas for disposal. As well as precious metals such as gold, copper and aluminium, electrical waste can contain hazardous substances including mercury and lead that are harmful to people and the environment.”
At the hearing, a further three men present in the court were told to return to Havering Magistrates Court on February 23 under an ‘old style' committal procedure. This involves court papers being read out and the court deciding whether there is a case to answer at trial.
The men were all granted unconditional bail, with the exceptions of Godwin Ezeemo, who required a £10,000 payment as a third party guarantee on his behalf and both Adrian John Thomson and Stewart McGuigan, who must maintain non-contact with a witness.
The full list of men scheduled to appear in court yesterday was:
Mr Michael Aulakh
Mr Joe Benson
Mr Terry Solomon Dugbo
Mr Nmadni Ezechuwu
Mr Chika Ezeemo
Mr Godwin Ezeemo
Mr Prince Nworoisa Ibeh
Mr Stewart McGuigan
Mr Emanuel Mukete
Mr Adrian John Thomson
Mr Krassimir Vengolov
Of these, Mr Aulkah, Mr Chika Ezeemo and Mr Vengelov will return to the court on February 23. A 12th man, originally named by the Environment Agency as having been charged in relation to its investigations, Michael Sirpal Singh, was not present in court.
Four companies have also been charged under the investigation, these are BJ Electronics UK Limited, Orient Export Limited, Reliance Export Ltd and Thorn International UK Limited.
Of those present in court, not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Mr Benson, BJ Electronics Ltd and Mr Ibeh, with no plea being entered by the other defendants.
Detail
At yesterday's hearing, the Environment Agency's counsel also provided more detail on its allegations, explaining that they relate to 11 containers of hazardous WEEE being exported to Nigeria, containing a total of 158 tonnes of material.
He added that the majority of the material in question was CRT TVs, but fridges and some smaller material such as irons and kettles were also present in the containers.
The Agency's investigation first came to light in November 2010, when it revealed it was taking action against nine men (see letsrecycle.com story), with 11 men and four companies involved then being named in court in December 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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