Chinese get 20-year jail term for smuggling 11 rhino horns
The four convicts were also ordered to pay Sh10.8bn fine. Their case was heard for 23 days
One of the convicted Chinese nationals boards a Prisons truck as three others walk towards it at Mbeya Resident Magistrate's Court shortly after the four were sentenced to a 20-year jail term yesterday. PHOTO | GODFREY KAHANGO
In Summary
Resident magistrate in a Mbeya court says prosecution proved all the offences the accused faced beyond reasonable doubt
Godfrey Kahango The Citizen Correspondent
Mbeya. Four Chinese were yesterday sentenced to 20 years in jail after being convicted of smuggling 11 rhino horns worth Sh902 million.
The Chinese nationals were also ordered to pay Sh10.8 billion in fine in the case that was heard for 23 days consecutively.
Song Leo, 33, Xiao Shaodan, 29, Chen Jianlin, 34 and Hu Liang, 30, were arrested on 17 last month at the Tanzania-Malawi boarder post of Kasumulu in Kyela District hiding the horns in a dubious fuel tank they were driving from Malawi.
They were charged with three offences related to economic sabotage, conspiracy, and smuggling the horns without permission of authorities as well as possession of government trophies illegally.
Mbeya Resident Magistrate in-charge Charles Mteite said yesterday that the prosecution proved each of the three offences beyond reasonable doubt.
He found the accused guilty of conspiracy which earned them 15 years in jail. The court also convicted the trio of possessing government trophies in which they were handed three years in jail each and ordered to pay a Sh1.8 billion fine.
They were sentenced to 20 years in jail on the third offence of possessing government trophies and ordered to pay Sh9 billion fine, being ten times the value of the horns seized.
This means the accused will pay Sh10.8 billion in total.
The court also ordered a Toyota Hilux that the Chinese used to commit the offence and the 11 horns be confiscated and put under the watch of the Director of Wildlife who will follow proper procedures to destroy them. Before the sentence was read, state attorney Wankyo Simon, who was being assisted by Crchiles Mulisa, asked the court to give a severe punishment to serve as a lesson to foreigners with the habit of coming in the country under the pretext of tourism but engage in economic sabotage.
He said, the accused came into the country allegedly for tourism purposes, but had a plan to engage in rhino horn smuggling.
Lawyers defending the accused Ladislaus Lwekaza asked the court for a lenient sentence because they were first offenders and were foreigners and young to be depended by any nation. The magistrate said his decision considered arguments from both sides. "There is no doubt these precious animals are being killed despite huge amounts of money the government spends to protect wildlife so they do not become distinct,” he said. He went on, "It is also the duty of the court to support efforts by the government to fight against poaching”.
Outside the court, Mr Lwekaza said he needed time to go through the judgment before he could comment on the next cause of action.
"First, we respect the decision of the court in line with the constitution of our country. The decision did not consider the colour or citizenship of my clients,” he said.
There was extraordinary tight security in and outside the court led by Mbeya Regional Police Commander (RPC) Ahmed Msangi.