Dodoma court sentences two to 20 years for possession of 38m/- ivory

Dodoma court sentences two to 20 years for possession of 38m/- ivory

 Two residents of Kondoa District in Dodoma Region have been sentenced to 20 years in jail or payment of a 5m/- fine each after being arrested with elephant tusks worth 38m/-.

 

Naming the convicted as Khamis Ramadhani (45) and Hussen Juma Bakari (31), Dodoma Resident Magistrate Joseph Fovo said the accused were found in possession of government trophies, contrary to Section 5 of the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009.

 

Reading the case before the magistrate, the prosecutor on the government side, Costantine Kikula, teaming up with Linus Bigabe from Tarangire National Park, said the accused committed the offence on May 19, 2014 at Atta area in Kondoa District.

 

He said the accused were arrested by game wardens at Tarangire National Park in collaboration with the police from Babati District, Manyara Region.

 

Asking the court to hand over a harsh sentence to the accused as a lesson to others who may harbour poaching and trafficking ideas, Kikula said the suspects were found with two tusks weighing 43kgs with a street value of 38,549,500/-.

 

Passing the verdict while concurring with the prosecutor, the magistrate said such acts were negating the government’s efforts to conserve wildlife and in turn causing heavy loses to the authority.

 

He said the court was handing the judgment according to Cap 5 Section 86 (1&2)(c)(II) of the Wildlife Conservation Law of 2009 Sub 14 (d) first preliminary of Economy Abuse number 200 that was rectified in 2002. He further identified the vehicle that was used to ferry the contraband as an Escudo with registration T 127 ATC.  They were also caught with 1m/- which has now been nationalised according to Section Number 111 of the law of Economy Abuse number 200 that was amended in 2002.

 

However, the magistrate downplayed their lawyers’ defence Godfrey Wasonga from National Attorneys Advocates who pleaded with the court to reduce their sentence since they have families who depend on them and because it was their first offence.