The trial began Tuesday morning of three suspects accused of
buying and transporting Saiga antelope horn. The case is being
heard at the Fangshan District Court, Beijing.
It is the largest such case ever tried in Beijing, involving 568
horns with a total value of 4.2 million yuan (US$500,000). The
Saiga antelope is an endangered species under government
protection.
The defendant, surnamed Zhang, is the factory manager of a Hebei-based
pharmaceutical company. In early March last year, he assigned
subordinates Liu Bin and Wang Zhixue to go to Anguo City in Hebei
to ask defendant Meng Xiangli for payment of an overdue debt. After
negotiations, Meng and Liu agreed that Meng would use traditional
Chinese medicine, including the Saiga antelope horn, as payment.
Meng put the horns into his station wagon and drove to Beijing,
where he was caught by local police
The public prosecutor says that the pharmaceutical company, in
addition to the defendants as individuals, has violated the
law.
The maximum penalty for cases of this type includes confinement
for not less than ten years, forfeiture of illegal profits and a
punitive fine.
(China.org.cn by Tang Fuchun, March 30, 2004)