The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Court has sentenced a man to life in prison after he was found guilty of illegal possession of ivory.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said Pascal Ochiba, was found guilty of possession of two pieces of ivory weighing 9.5 kg without a wildlife use right.
Offenses of unlawful possession of protected species are rampant and there is a need to curb them, UWA quoted Chief Magistrate of the Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court Gladys Kamasanyu as saying.
Ivory dealer sentenced to life imprisonment. See our statement below; pic.twitter.com/XoVwuRE0Rh
— Uganda Wildlife Authority (@ugwildlife) October 21, 2022
Kamasanyu said Ochiba was a habitual offender having been charged in 2017 with two counts of unlawful possession of protected species and charged by the same court. She said Ochiba deserved a sentence that will contribute to making the world a safer place for wildlife and humans.
UWA described the sentence as a landmark achievement in the fight against illegal wildlife trade.
In April last year, a court in Uganda also charged two police officers over the illegal possession of elephant tusks, weighing 23 kg.
It will serve as a lesson to others to avoid committing the same offense.