19th March 2014
Elephant tusks
The verdict was read by Resident Magistrate, Devotha Kisoka of the
Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam after the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP) granted permission to the Kisutu court to hear
the case under the Economic and Organised Crime Control Act.
The prosecution led by State Attorney Faraja Nchimbi informed the
court that investigations into the case had been completed and had
revealed that the accused in accompaniment of poachers (still at large)
obtained the pieces of elephant tusks after killing 40 elephants.
He was also found in possession of two pangolin scales which is an endangered mammal commonly known as a ‘scaled anteater’.
Nchimbi informed the court that the accused entered the country for
business but on November 26 last year, shortly after his arrival, he
started networking with a syndicate of poachers within and outside the
country.
In his communications with the poachers, the accused planned to kill elephants and other animals including the pangolins.
In the process, the accused managed to collect 81 elephant tusks
which were hidden in an undisclosed location of Mwenge in Kinondoni
District, Dar es Salaam.
“In the evening of December 30th last year,” the prosecutor told
the court “…the accused loaded the elephant tusks and pangolin scales
onto a motor vehicle with registration number T 218 BUY, Mazda Pickup
with intention to ship them to China through the Dar es Salaam port but
he was arrested before accomplishing his mission,” alleged Nchimbi.
He said that the accused was apprehended at Gate No.2 of the Dar es
Salaam port after security officers suspected him and decided to
inspect the vehicle. He said that Yu Bo wanted to transport the trophies
via a ship that was docked at the harbour./
Nchimbi said that after his arrest, the accused admitted to own the
trophies and that he wanted to transport them without a permit or any
authorisation from the director of wildlife.
According to the charge sheet, on December 30th last year at Dar es
Salaam port in Temeke district the accused was found in possession of
government trophies worth 978,120,490/-, property of the government of
Tanzania.
The accused pled guilty to the charge and will begin his prison term with immediate effect pending his payment of the 9bn fine.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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