By: Syamsidar

Two defendants who sold tiger skins were sentenced to 4 years in prison and fined one hundred million rupiah by a panel of judges at the Rengat District Court in a verdict reading session that took place on February 7, 2016. For this decision, the two defendants, Muzainul Achyar bin Muhaimi and Joko Sujarwanto bin Hadi, expressed their thoughts.

During the trial, the two defendants were found guilty of violating Article 21 Paragraph (2) and Article 40 Paragraph (2) of the Law on Nature and Ecosystem Conservation. In the previous trial held on January 24, 2016, the public prosecutors, Yoyok Satrio SH and Rulif Yuganitra SH, charged the two defendants with 3 years in prison and a fine of one hundred million rupiah.

The panel of judges chaired by Agus Akhyudi Sh. MH and member judges Immanuel M. Putra Sirait and Omori Rotama Sitorus handed down a sentence higher than the prosecutor's demands in the prosecution hearing that took place yesterday. The reason why the panel of judges imposed this high sentence was to provide a deterrent effect for wildlife criminals as expressed by one of the member judges, Immanuel M. Putra Sirait.

The KSDAE law states that perpetrators of wildlife crime are punished with a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp. 100,000,000.

A joint team from BPPH-LHK Sumatra Region-Riau Regional Section (Gakkum) and Jambi BKSDA arrested the two suspects on September 29, 2016 in Sencalang Village, Batang Gangsal District, Indragiri Hulu, Riau. Officers secured two suspects with one piece of tiger skin complete with bones as evidence. Meanwhile, one suspect managed to escape during the arrest process carried out by officers.

Both suspects were then brought to Pekanbaru for further investigation by Civil Servant Investigators from BPPH (Center for Security and Law Enforcement). In their testimony, the two suspects who are residents of Pemayungan Village, Batang Sumay, Muaro Tebo-Jambi Regency were only middlemen to sell the tiger skin. They admitted that one piece of tiger skin and bones came from Concong Village, Indragiri Hilir Regency but they did not know who the hunter was.

In the last 6 months, the Rengat District Court has handed down high sentences of four years imprisonment in two tiger skin trafficking cases. Previously on September 8, 2016, the panel of judges at the Rengat District Court also sentenced two tiger skin and other animal parts collectors to 4 years in prison.

Osmantri, Coordinator of WWF Central Sumatra Program's Wildlife Crime Team stated, "We appreciate the judges of Rengat District Court who have committed to enforcing the law against wildlife crime by giving a fairly high sentence compared to the sentences for similar crimes that have occurred before."

He added, "We believe the panel of judges made this decision by considering various aspects and hope that the intent and purpose of providing a deterrent effect to perpetrators of crimes like this can be achieved."

In the last two years, relevant law enforcement agencies in both Riau and Jambi provinces have been intensively implementing law enforcement efforts against wildlife crime. However, these efforts should be further developed by targeting higher level perpetrators. In this case, law enforcers should be able to develop the investigation of one perpetrator who managed to escape when officers conducted a sting operation, which according to the testimony of two defendants he was the brain of this crime.

Wildlife crime is a serious crime that brings not only ecological but also economic losses.