Duo cleared of N$1m seal genital export
Two Chinese citizens were acquitted by a Namibian court of charges related to the illegal export of seal genitals. The magistrate ruled that the items were legally purchased and that the defendants were detained prematurely before any export attempt occurred.
Why it matters
The case highlights the complexities of wildlife trade regulations and the legal scrutiny surrounding the export of animal products in Namibia.
Two men who were arrested on charges about the alleged illegal export of seal genitals from Namibia in January last year were found not guilty in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday.
The seal genitals the two accused, Chinese citizens Hou Xuecheng (50) and Zhang Xianming (44), had in their possession at Hosea Kutako International Airport east of Windhoek on 7 January last year were legally bought by Hou, magistrate Leopold Hangalo found in the judgement in which he acquitted both men on all the charges they were facing.
Hangalo also found that Hou and Zhang did not export the seal genitals, as Zhang, who was due to take a flight to Luanda, had not booked in for the flight and his luggage, in which he had the seal genitals, had not been booked in for the flight before he and Hou were arrested either.
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