Cape Town - An elderly Chinese man and his young wife appeared in a Cape Town court on Monday for the alleged possession of dried abalone (perlemoen) and the carcasses of two protected African elephants. Koon Man Lee, 61, and Huilin Wang, 32, both of Durbanville, Cape Town were released on R50 000 bail each, when they appeared in the Bellville Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Clive Linden.
They were arrested last Thursday. Prosecutor John Ryneveld told the court Lee had pensioner status in South Africa until 2014. Wang had "accompanying husband" status in South Africa, which expired in October next year. Both face two charges related to the "illegal possession of 7 381 dried perlemoen, and the illegal possession of two African elephant carcasses, for their ivory tusks".
According to the charge sheet they obtained the carcasses without the required documentation issued in terms of Ordinance 19 of 1974. In the alternative, they are alleged to have hunted the elephants.
The penalty for the charge relating to the elephants is a fine not exceeding R100 000, or a jail sentence not exceeding 10 years. They are also liable to a fine that does not exceed three times the commercial value of the ivory. Both were warned to appear in court again on November 12.
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