TWO Mutare men and their Mozambican accomplice were last Friday slapped with a nine-year jail term each for illegal possession of a pangolin. OBEY MANAYITI STAFF REPORTER
Bernard Museka, Average Geza and Steven Banda were convicted on their own plea to charges of contravening section 45 (b) as read with section 128 of the Parks and Wildlife Act chapter 20:14 when they appeared before Mutare magistrate Sekai Chiundura. The act criminalises the possession of endangered species such as the pangolin.
However, their three other alleged accomplices Ivene Ndagurwa of Mutare, Wonderful Museka of Rusape and Charles Chikide of Marange, denied the charge and were remanded in custody to October 23 for trial.
It is the State case that on October 9 along Dawson Road, Yeovil in Mutare, police set up a trap suspects and recovered a live pangolin stashed in the suspects’ car boot.
According to the court papers, the pangolin is valued at $5 000. Cuthbert Bosha prosecuted for the State.