On 7 February 2025, construction company He Co Pty Ltd and its director George Khouzame were convicted and each fined $100,000 plus costs in Parramatta Local Court for providing false information to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) during an illegal dumping investigation in February 2023.

The defendants were prosecuted during an ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal dumping of asbestos-contaminated waste at a property in Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands. The EPA issued statutory notices to several companies, including He Co Pty Ltd, requesting information and records on how the material came to be on the property. He Co Pty Ltd and Mr Khouzame repeatedly denied any involvement with the property, but evidence gathered by EPA officers indicated that those assertions were false.

The matter demonstrates the importance of complying with statutory notices issued by the EPA as well as other regulatory authorities.

6 St James Hall counsel Stephanie Erian appeared for the EPA.

The matter has been reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.