National News

Chinese ivory smuggler fined K50 000

 

The Mkukula Magistrate’s Court in Dowa on Wednesday found Chinese national Zhang Hongzhi guilty of illegal exportation of ivory. The court convicted Zhang and ordered him to pay K50 000 fine or serve a year in prison in default.

Ivory is reported to be on high demand in east Asia
Ivory is reported to be on high demand in east Asia

Zhang, 46, was arrested at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) on Saturday after security checks revealed he was carrying prohibited stuff which turned out to be ivory-made trophies weighing over half a kilogramme.

He was heading to Beijing, China, via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight and he had concealed the ivory trophies in a metal-coated paper to evade the airport’s X-ray scanners.

“He paid the fine and the ivory has since been forfeited to the Malawi government through the Department of National Parks and Wildlife,” said KIA police spokesperson Sapulain Chitonde Lee.

Ivory exportation in Malawi is contrary to Section 98(b) of the National Parks and Wildlife (Amendment) Act as read with Section 111 of the same, which prohibits exportation of specimen of protected species, according to Chitonde Lee.

Since January 2015, officials at KIA have thwarted four attempts to export ivory mainly to far-east Asian countries where it is said to be in high demand.

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4 Comments

  1. Koma zitsiru zaku Malawi! Corruption is everywhere and this judge watafuna sikono. k50,000.00 yopita ku boma and k2,000 000 000.00 yake. Cant the government fire some of the imbeciles? Chidziko chonukha ichi.

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