WILDLEX

In a judgment handed down in the sentencing of Mr Blignault, the Court considered the evidence placed before it during his trial, its weight, and the personal circumstances of the accused.

This case involves a company (HBFI) that was involved in harvesting fish in excess of its quotas and buying illegally harvested fish from other catchers which violated inter alia the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 (‘the Marine Act’).

The appellants were convicted own their pleas of conspiring to commit an offence of illegal hunting of a rhinoceros, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition in the magistrate court. They were sentenced to 5 years imprisonment each for count 1 and 4 years imprisonment each for count 3.

On 11 April 2017, the accused persons BIBE Jean & EMANE Marceline received a modern gun and food provisions from a certain MINYONO of Mfem Village to carry out elephant poaching in the Dja Biosphere Reserve.