Chinese ‘Ivory Queen’ Sentence to 15 years in jail

1. Chinese ‘Ivory Queen’ Sentence to 15 years in jail A Chinese businesswoman who is popularly known as “Ivory Queen” has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Tanzanian judge for smuggling the tusks of more than 350 elephants. The Chinese businesswoman, 69, had been charged in October 2015 along with two Tanzanian men with smuggling about 860 pieces of ivory worth 13bn shillings ($5.6m) over several years to Asia. On Tuesday a Court Magistrate, Huruma Shaidi handed the trio 15-year sentences following their convictions of leading an organized criminal gang. The three of them who were sentenced 15years each had denied the charges. Judge Huruma Shaidi also ordered them to either pay twice the market value of the elephant tusks or face another two years in prison.

2. In court documents, prosecutors said Yang “intentionally did organise, manage and finance a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling government trophies” weighing a total of 1,889 tonnes. Conservationists welcomed Yang’s conviction, saying it was proof of the government’s seriousness in the fight against wildlife poaching, but some criticized the sentence. “[It] is not punishment enough for the atrocities she committed, by being responsible for the poaching of thousands of elephants in Tanzania,” Amani Ngusaru, WWF country director, told Reuters news agency. “She ran a network that killed thousands of elephants.” This is according to media reports. ‘Industrial-scale’ poaching Yang is expected to serve her jail time Dar es Salaam. Media Reports indicates that the businesswoman Ivory Queen, 69, had lived in Tanzania since the 1970s and was secretary-general of the Tanzania China- Africa Business Council. Ghana news Breaking news in nigeria today