Apple fined $2.4 million for selling smartphones without a charger

US tech giant Apple has been fined $2.4 million for selling iPhones without a charger in Brazil, the government said on Tuesday.

Brazilian authorities have ordered “the immediate suspension of the distribution of iPhone brand smartphones that are not accompanied by a battery charger.”

The action taken by the Department of Consumer Protection and Defense in effect prohibits the sale of all iPhone 12 and 13 models.

Apple has been under investigation in Brazil since December for “the sale of an incomplete product, discrimination against the consumer” and “the transfer of responsibility to third parties” by offering iPhone 12s and newer versions without chargers for power outlets, according to an official statement.

Although the company has been fined earlier it  “did not take any measures to minimize the harm and until now continued to sell the cellular devices without chargers,” the statement said.

Apple claims that the decision to exclude chargers from iPhone sales comes from an “environmental commitment.”

But the ministry determined “there is no effective demonstration of environmental protection on Brazilian soil as a consequence” of Apple’s policy, and accused the company of “deliberate discriminatory practices against consumers.”