Durban: Another person has been fined for illegally exporting scrap metal to India.
Deepak Kumar Metha was ordered to pay a R250 000 fine, in five instalments, after pleading guilty in the Durban Magistrate’s Court to exporting scrap metal without obtaining an export permit.
According to Natasha Kara, regional spokesperson for the NPA, in February, Metha had five containers to be prepared for export from the Port of Durban to India.
The cargo was valued at about R466 000.
“He did this fully aware that the cargo required an application to ITAC for an export permit and intentionally and unlawfully failed to apply for the export permit.”
Kara said the containers were transported from Johannesburg to the terminal at the Port of Durban for loading onto the ship.
“During inspections by the South African Revenue Service Customs and Investigations Unit, it was established that the cargo due for export contained scrap metal and that Metha did not possess the required permit.”
Earlier this week, in a separate incident, Nagendra Kudupudi, 41, was convicted of the same offence and ordered to pay a fine of R200 000 in four instalments.
In February, Kudupudi, who deals in the buying and selling of scrap metal, arranged for five containers to be prepared for export from the Port of Durban to India. The steel scrap metal weighed 125 500kg and was valued at R369 750.
According to Kara, the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) policies stipulate that an export permit must be applied for within ITAC, for certain commodities, including scrap metal in various forms, before the exportation of that commodity.
IOL