KUANTAN: Three Vietnamese, including two siblings, were slapped with a whopping RM128.9mil fine for having 1,000 wildlife parts without valid permits.
The trio – a woman, her brother and another man – were also jailed for between 15 months and 12 years by the Sessions Court for the offences committed three years ago.
They had been found in possession of nearly 1,000 parts of various animal species, including pangolins, sun bears, striped leopards, black leopards, clouded leopards, Asian elephants, hogs, wild boars, wolves, porcupines, deer and snakes.
All these animals are protected under the First Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
Sessions Court Judge Maimoonah Aid handed down the sentences on Bui Thi Ngan, 56, her brother Bui Van Noi, 48, and a male friend, Bui Van Anh, 38, after finding them guilty of the offences yesterday.
They were ordered to serve the jail sentences concurrently from the date of their arrest in 2023.
They were also ordered to additional eight years and six months’ imprisonment if they fail to pay the fine.
They were jointly charged with committing the offences at a residential premises in Jalan Sungai Lembing, Kampung Sungai Charu, Panching here at 7pm on Nov 15, 2023.
The charges were framed under Section 68(1)(b) and Section 60(1)(b) of the Wildlife Conservation Act, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
