T

wo members of a tiger trade syndicate have been sentenced to four years in jail for their attempt to sell the skin of a Sumatran tiger.

The Rengat District Court in Taluk Kuantan, Riau, also ordered each of the defendants to pay Rp 60 million (US$4,560) in fines or serve an additional three months behind bars.

The sentences exceeded demands by state prosecutors.

One of the convicts, Herman alias Man bin Mausin from Kuantan Mudik district, has long been known as a trader of animal body parts, such as snake skins and lizard skins.

The other convict, Adrizal Rakasiwi alias Adri from Jambi, would often come to Herman’s house and act as a middleman in the sale of animal body parts to buyers in various regions.

“The three members on the panel of judges were of one voice. There was no dissenting opinion,” chief justice Wiwin Sulistya told The Jakarta Post on the phone on Friday.

Wiwin said the defendants were proven to have kept a piece of Sumatran tiger skin to be sold to a buyer in Jambi, who was still at large. They had violated Article 21 and 40 of Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and the ecosystem and Article 55 of the Criminal Code (KUHP).

“The price of the tiger skin was already agreed at Rp 150 million, but the team from Riau Police and the Riau and Jambi Natural Resource Conservation Agencies arrested [Herman and Adrizal] at Herman’s house on April 29, before the transaction could be concluded,” Wiwin said.

Wiwin added that harsh sentences had been given to the defendants because what they had committed jeopardized the population of Sumatran tigers, with only an estimated 300 remaining in the wild.

“The punishment must have a chilling effect to prevent others from committing the same crime.”

Wiwin also said that the defendants had not been cooperative during the trial and had not admitted their wrongdoing. “Especially Herman, who claimed he did not know that a tiger skin along with the bones, other animal skins and the bones of a bear were kept in his house.”

So far there is no solid information on the origin of the tiger skin that served as evidence in the case.

“No witness could [provide information] on the origin of the tiger, but the judges are sure that both were guilty of committing the crime,” Wiwin said.

Prosecutors Andrianto Mulia Budiman and Siti Khadijah Susilowati had sought two-and-a-half years of imprisonment and a fine of Rp 50 million or an additional three months in prison.

The prosecutors, according to Wiwin, did not object to the verdict, while the two convicts said they would consider appealing.

The harsh sentences were applauded by the Wildlife Crime Team, a special team of the Riau WWF Program to investigate networks of protected animal trade in central Sumatra.

“This is the first tiger skin trade case tried in Riau this year. The sentence turned out to be higher than ever. It really meets many people’s hopes,” said Wildlife Crime Team coordinator Osmantri, expressing hope that the sentences would deter other perpetrators.