NSWMA and NEPA summoned to Public Defender's office
Published:Tuesday | April 21, 2015 | 12:00 AM
The former chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Steve Ashley and the agency's former executive director Jennifer Edwards have been summoned by the Office of the Public Defender to give an account of the handling of the recent fire at the Riverton City disposal site.
The chief executive officer of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has also reportedly been summoned.
The Gleaner/Power106 News Centre understands that the three are scheduled to start meeting with investigators at the Public Defender's office on Monday.
Our news centre understands that they will be interviewed under oath and will be bound by the provisions of the Perjury Act.
Government sources say the Public Defender's office is seeking to examine the permits under which the NSWMA operated and whether the state agency was compliant with those permits.
According to one source, investigators also want to examine whether NEPA had fulfilled it's mandate to provide proper regulatory oversight of the NSWMA.
It is understood that investigators also want to review the standards established for air quality tests conducted while the fire burned at the dump.
The interviews are to form part of a report the Public Defender's office is preparing for Parliament.