Ten people who belong to the construction sector and seven companies appear Monday before the criminal court of Draguignan (Var) for illegal deposits of waste in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes.
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Anne Roques, lawyer at the ecological association France Nature Environnement (FNE), said Monday, November 22 on franceinfo to expect justice to make a “example” of the trial “symbolic” of the “waste mafia”. Ten people (managers, employees or intermediaries) of construction companies as well as seven companies appear before the criminal court of Draguignan (Var) for “irregular management of waste”, “swindle” and “organized gang money laundering”. They are suspected of having, between 2017 and 2020, dumped hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of earth, concrete and scrap on land in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, leaving 18 sites disfigured for life.
“It is a trial which shows the enormity of certain traffic in construction waste. The fact that there are five days of hearing before the Draguignan court proves to us that this is a major case”, believes Anne Roques. “We are really counting on the jurisdiction of Draguignan to have heavy penalties but, above all, to order the rehabilitation of sites which are particularly at stake on the 18 sites we are talking about.”
Anne Roques recognizes that, in order to get rid of waste, “People sometimes lack information on the waste collection system. Those who dump in illegal dumps, often do not want to pay to dispose of hazardous waste such as asbestos. However, any offense of this kind is liable to a fine. more substantial than paying to legally dispose of hazardous waste. “