February 2014: In a shock decision that has sent alarm bells ringing across the globe, a high court judge inUganda has ordered the return of 2.9 tonnes of impounded ivory to the ivory trafficking suspects.
This is despite the cargo entering the country fraudulently, having been declared as coffee, and the fact that any onward export would clearly be in stark contravention of international regulations under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Maria Mutagamba, Uganda’s Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities expressed her dismay and shock at the Judge’s ruling and called for the criminal prosecution of the owners of the confiscated ivory.
“We have received with shock the ruling of Justice Wilson Masalu Musene that Uganda Revenue Authority should hand over confiscated ivory to criminal suspects who are on the run and have arrest warrants issued against them,” she says.
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