Agencies warned after data breach

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has issued strict warnings to third-party environmental monitoring agencies, emphasizing that falsification of data and fraudulent behavior will lead to severe legal consequences.

On Tuesday, the ministry revealed the cases of two third-party agencies involved in fabricating documents in which criminal penalties were imposed not only on the actual controllers and legal representatives of the agencies, but also on those responsible for sampling, analysis and report approval.

The companies are Shanxi Fangchuang Environmental Testing Company in Shanxi province and Xi'an Kena Testing and Calibration Company in Shaanxi province. They falsified sampling data, tampered with sampling periods, fabricated lab results and swapped analysis samples, disrupting market order and harming the environment, the ministry said.

In October last year, media reports revealed that these agencies were suspected of falsifying environmental monitoring data. This led the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in collaboration with the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, to launch a joint investigation and dispatch special teams to oversee the cases.

Task forces from Shanxi and Shaanxi also conducted comprehensive investigations into the illegal activities throughout the companies' entire operational chain, including business acquisition, on-site sampling, lab analysis, report issuance and financial transactions.

The investigation revealed that from March 2021 until their cases were officially filed last year, Fangchuang produced 172 false reports from which it earned about 1.1 million yuan ($156,600), while Kena issued 222 false reports, earning 762,000 yuan.

Both companies were fined 200,000 yuan, and their illegal gains were confiscated. Additionally, three executives from Fangchuang and six personnel from Kena received prison sentences ranging from nine months to 18 months, along with fines. Their qualifications were revoked, and the nine defendants were banned from working in environmental monitoring or related fields for three years.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment emphasized that anyone falsifying data and engaging in fraudulent practices will face strict legal action. Third-party agencies and practitioners are urged to heed this warning, strengthen their legal awareness and operate with integrity.

Moving forward, the ministry will continue collaborating with other departments to maintain a high-pressure approach to cracking down on fraud, employing big data and AI-enhanced monitoring to prevent misconduct and foster a healthy and orderly development of the third-party environmental services market.

During a news conference on Sept 25, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Environment Dong Baotong stated that environmental monitoring is foundational to ecological protection. Public concerns about falsified third-party monitoring data highlight the need for stronger oversight and stricter enforcement.

Since 2021, the ministry, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the State Administration for Market Regulation have conducted special annual inspections to combat fraud in third-party environmental services. By the end of last year, 2,260 violators had been dealt with, 457 cases had been exposed and 193 criminal cases had been handed over for prosecution.

Additionally, 4,255 cases of falsified self-monitoring by companies had been uncovered, with 930 transferred to law enforcement.

This year, the ministry will further expand the scope of its crackdown, increase penalties, enhance regulatory collaboration and upgrade its monitoring techniques to ensure effective oversight.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn