The illegally stored toxic waste comes from the battery processing factory in Bátonyterenye owned by South Korean company SungEel.

However, the fine has been imposed on entrepreneur László Tibor Karácsony, based in Aszód, for "collecting waste without a permit and endangering the environment".

Karácsony has a license for the transport of 196,000 tons of hazardous waste per year, but could not produce a waste management license for the storage unit in Abasár.

The government office established that the labels on the 1,700 tons of toxic waste stored in 11,000 barrels were forged.

Karácsony had a contract with SungEel Hitech Hungary, which has a battery recycling plant in Szigetszentmiklós as well as the one in Bátonytereny.

In recent publicised scandals involving the company, a machine exploded in the Szigetszentmiklós factory, causing the death of two people.

The labour protection authority imposed a Ft 10 million fine on the plant and later Disaster Control revoked its licence.

The government office suspended the operation of the Bátonyterenye battery processing plant in August following repeated violations of regulations and fines.