The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined the Monrovia Breweries Incorporated (MBI) Five Thousand United States Dollars for its failure to implement recommendations proffered by the EPA during its 10, April 2019 audit verification visit to the company.
Addressing a news conference today, July 6, 2020 at the head office of the EPA, the acting Executive Director General of the agency, Randall Dobayou made specific reference on the deliberate refusal of the MBI management to live up to its obligation to obtain an effluent discharge permit and chemical registration and importation license for chemical imported.
He expressed displeasure over the manner in which a team of EPA technicians who went over to the company’s compound were denied access to enter, despite previous recommendations made to assess the company’s compliance as per its operation permit.
Mr. Dobayou said the EPA takes serious exception to the non-compliance posture of the MBI for its refusal to allow its technical team to have access to the facility despite previous agreement reached between the EPA and the MBI in 2019 to abide by all arrangements in adhering to the mandate of the EPA instead to the contrary.
He noted that by the denial by the MBI Chief Security not to allow access to the EPA to perform its statuary duty is a violation of Part IX Section 95 of the Environmental Protection Management of Liberia (EMPL), is an affront to Section 8.0 operation permit which gave inspectors the right to unhindered to the MBMI facility.
Quoting some regulations that govern the EPA, and gives it the authority, said ‘Sub-Section 3 of section 95 of the EMPL states that anyone who interferes with the Inspector’s duties commit an offence and is liable on a conviction of a fine not exceeding US$5,000.00 or imprisonment for one year or both.
“On this basis”, he noted after carefully reviewing of such situation in keeping with the spirit to ensure a sustainable environmental protection, the management of the MBI is hereby fined the amount of Five Thousand United States Dollarsnto be paid within 72 hours, and deposit said into government revenue through the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) with an official receipt presented to the EPA, failure to comply with this notice of violation may lead to the cancellation of the MBI permit of operation, the EPA acting boss told journalists.
When the GNN contacted the management of the MBI to ascertain the facts regarding its defiance to allow EPA technicians to enter its compound for inspection, the Chief Executive Officer of the Monrovia Breweries Incorporated, Dr. Nelson Oniyama discussions are been between him and the EPA, and further assured that there will be no confrontation between his institution and the EPA which is an government institution.