The Daily News
The District Court at Babati has sentenced four poachers to 20 years imprisonment each for unlawful possession of six pieces of elephant tusks, which are government trophies, valued at over 140m/-, without permission from the Director of Wildlife.
They are Iddy Myombo, Hamis Kidindi, charged with an Economic Case No. 17 of 2017 as well as Vitalis John and Dismas Kendi, who were facing an Economic Case No. 16 of 2017. Resident Magistrate Neema Gasabile convicted the poachers last week after been satisfied by evidence produced in court by witnesses of the prosecution, led by State Attorney Timothy Mmari and Linus Bugaba, a prosecutor from TANAPA.
During the cases, a total of seven witnesses testified in the Case No. 17 of 2017 and five documentary exhibits were tendered, while ten witnesses testified for prosecution in the Case No. 16 of 2017.
The court was told that Myombo and Kidindi committed the offence on August 11, 2017 at Gijedabong Village within Babati District in Manyara Region.
It was alleged that they were in possession of two elephant tusks, which are government trophies, weighing 67.2kg, valued at 82,494,720/-, without a permit from the Director of Wildlife.
The prosecution had also told the court that on the same day at Sangaiwe Village in the district, John and Kendi were found in unlawful possession of four elephant tusks weighing 18.1kg, valued at 66,960,000/-.
Meanwhile, the same court last week sentenced Ester Kidiaba, a resident of Chubi Village within the district, to either pay 100,000/-or go to jail for two years for entering and grazing 23 cattle and three donkeys into Tarangire National Park without permit.
https://dailynews.co.tz/news/2019-04-085caaee29bc7cc.aspx
