Malaysia's first rhino horns smuggling trial after Sepang duo plead not guilty

 

Two men have reversed their “guilty” plea and claimed trial at the Sepang Sessions Court yesterday for illegally possessing 50 rhinoceros horns.

This will be the first open trial on rhino horn trafficking activities in Malaysia’s court.

The two accused - Mohamad Sukry Wahab and Muhammad Hafiszan Naser, both 29 - told the court they would like to plead not guilty and claim trial. It was a reversal of the guilty plea they had recorded at an earlier court appearance last month.

They did not explain the reasons for changing their plea.

Following the plea change, judge Ahmad Fuad Othman fixed Sept 11, 12, and 25 for a trial. A total of seven witnesses are expected to testify.

Charged with possessing 50 rhino horns

According to the charge sheet, the two accused were charged with possessing 49 units of square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horns and one unit of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) horn.

Square-lipped rhinoceros and black rhinoceros are endangered animals from African countries.

The rhinoceros are a fully protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. Therefore, the two accused were charged under Section 68(1)(b) of the same Act, which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 and a jail term of not more than three years.

The section states that taking or keeping any part of fully protected wildlife without a special permit is a violation.

The two accused were found with the items in a Mitsubishi Fuso bearing the plate number WWW 2879, parked by the roadside near Bulatan Masjid KLIA, around 9.15pm on Sept 9, 2021.

Only case being brought to court

NGO Traffic in Southeast Asia said the incident was one of the largest rhino horn seizures Malaysia has seen and only one case has been brought before the courts.

“Like several other countries in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is no stranger to the trafficking of African rhino horns into Asia. There have been several significant confiscations in Malaysia’s ports and airports in past years, but no arrests or prosecutions.

“For instance, in 2018, another 50 rhino horn pieces were seized at a postal aviation centre in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“More recently, in July 2022, 14 rhino horns were found in a shipment of multiple wildlife parts in transit at Port Klang. There were no arrests in either incident.”

Traffic pointed out that Southeast Asia is a significant recipient and conduit of those horns, data by the organisation showed that at least 19 rhino horn trafficking incidents were recorded in five countries in the region from January 2021 to December 2023. - Mkini