Justice: Appearance of a Presumed Trafficker of Ivory Tusks in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo)
*Translated from the French by an automated online translation service, so
please excuse the roughness. See link for original. *
Justice: Appearance of a Presumed Trafficker of Ivory Tusks in Brazzaville
(Republic of the Congo)
Groupe Congo Medias
July 24, 2021
See link
https://groupecongomedias.com/justice-comparution-dun-presume-trafiquant-de-pointes-divoire-a-brazzaville/
for photo.
The first hearing concerning an alleged ivory trafficker arrested on
February 22 in Brazzaville, will open on July 26 at the Tribunal de Grande
Instance of the same city.
This individual had been caught in the act of illegal possession,
circulation and attempted marketing of three (03) whole ivory tusks and
eleven (11) pieces, weighing a total of 28 kg, representing approximately
six slaughtered elephants. The interpellation had been carried out by the
elements of the Judicial Research Section of the Gendarmerie Region of
Brazzaville and the agents of the Departmental Directorate of Forest
Economy of this city with the technical assistance of the PALF (Support
Project for Wildlife Law Enforcement).
The seized ivories had been transported by this defendant from Mpouya, one
of the districts of the Plateaux Department, to Brazzaville where he was
preparing to sell them in Brazzaville to his potential clients. This arrest
marked a halt to this illicit traffic which would be practiced by this
individual. He risks penalties ranging from two (2) to five (5) years
imprisonment and a fine ranging from one hundred thousand (100,000) to five
million (5,000,000) FCFA in accordance with the law.
The Congo, which is committed to protecting its endangered animal species,
remains vigilant and punishes all those who obstruct the law in terms of
the protection of wildlife. In this sense, a great deal of work is
regularly done by the authorities. Acts committed by alleged wildlife
offenders cannot go unpunished.
As a reminder, an alleged trafficker in wildlife products was apprehended
on June 23 in Brazzaville in possession of two ivory tusks cut into four
pieces and an elephant point and a bag containing 5 kg of scales of a giant
pangolin. The second, a receiver involved in this affair, was also arrested
on June 24. The legal proceedings inherent in this case are pending before
the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Brazzaville.
In recent years, wildlife trafficking has become more organized, more
lucrative and more dangerous, and has grown globally along with drug
trafficking. A report released by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
states that African forest elephants have declined 62% in 10 years. The
same report adds that every 15 minutes, on average, an elephant is
illegally slaughtered on the African continent to feed an insatiable demand
for ivory.
The illegal trade in wildlife products is leading to the extinction of
wildlife species around the world. All eyes are therefore on justice to
severely condemn these acts for a good cause, that of protecting
biodiversity.