Guyana Fines Barama for False Reports
GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Guyana has fined a Malaysian timber company for
allegedly underreporting the number of trees it harvests in the jungles
of the South American country.
The US$500,000 (euro350,778) penalty _ one of the largest ever in
Guyana's forestry sector _ was imposed against Barama Company Limited
following a monthlong investigation by the Guyana Forestry Commission,
the government announced Monday.
The company, owned by Samling Global Limited of Sarawak, Malaysia,
allegedly failed to report some of the logs harvested in northwestern
Guyana, near the border with Venezuela, and illegally excluded logs it
purchased from its total production report, according to the government
statement.
"We will respond to all those allegations in a day or two," Barama
chief Peter Ho told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Two Guyanese field monitors were dismissed and others are under
investigation for possibly turning a blind eye to Barama's operations,
said Jaime Hall, commission spokesman.
Barama, one of several Asian timber companies logging in Guyana, was
awarded the concessions nearly 20 years ago.
The Forest Stewardship Council, which sets international standards for
sustainable logging, suspended Barama's certification for its
570,000-hectare (1,408,470-acre) section of western Guyana in January
after concerns were raised over its practices. But certification was
reinstated in August after the company made adjustments, according to
FSC records.
No comments:
Post a Comment