Another success in the fight against environmental crime
29.06.2020
“We will never agree to any practice that endangers human health and the welfare of the environment,” pointed out the Vice-Minister of Climate Jacek Ozdoba during Monday’s press conference organised by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Krakow with the participation of the Małopolska Voivodeship Environmental Protection Inspectorate in connection with the disruption of a criminal group, active in the area of illegal waste management.
“The Gorlice case is an example of excellent cooperation between various authorities and government bodies in the fight against environmental crime. I thank both the Prosecutor's Office and the Environmental Protection Inspectorate for their involvement. I want to make it clear that we will never agree to any practice that endangers human health and the welfare of the environment.” Currently, work is underway to form a team dedicated to fighting crime against the environment, whose aim will be to increase the effectiveness of the authorities in this area,” the Vice-Minister Jacek Ozdoba pointed out.
At the beginning of June this year, a bill of indictment was filed with the District Court in Nowy Sącz, concerning eight persons taking part in an organised crime organisation, which was responsible for illegal dumping of waste and hazardous substances on the premises of the former oil refinery in Gorlice.
After discovering the illegal waste collection, including hazardous waste, on the premises of the former Glimar kerosene refinery in Gorlice, the voivodeship environmental inspectors carried out an inspection, which resulted in the Voivodeship Environmental Protection Inspectorate imposing an administrative fine of nearly 500,000 PLN on the company responsible for illegal waste storage and issued a decision suspending its operations.
In connection with the suspicion that representatives of the company may have committed a crime described by Article 160 of the Penal Code – exposing third parties to direct danger of loss of life or serious injury – the District Prosecutor's Office in Gorlice was notified, and in June this year filed an indictment against eight persons charged with activity in an organised criminal group, responsible for illegal dumping of waste and hazardous substances.
According to the findings of the Prosecutor's Office, the members of the group were receiving waste and chemical substances from a number of businesses, pretending to have been intermediaries in the handling process and sending them to other entities, which were only fronts for their criminal activity. In addition, they were transporting waste and chemical substances to destinations other than indicated in the transport documents, and later stored them on the premises of the former kerosene refinery in Gorlice. Despite being aware of the dangers to human health and the environment, the defendants continued their criminal activities, gaining about 2.8 million PLN in total. The accused face a prison sentence of up to 12 years.
As Minister Jacek Ozdoba and representatives of the authorities pointed out during the press conference, this result was only possible thanks to excellent cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office and the Environmental Protection Inspectorate.