Anson Wong - culmination of chronic failures in prosecution and investigation

Friday February 24, 2012 MYT 1:37:00 PM
Jail term cut for wildlife trader Anson Wong condemned
By ISABELLE LAI
Star

PETALING JAYA: Wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic has condemned the decision to allow convicted wildlife trader Anson Wong to walk free, calling it a “culmination of chronic failures in prosecution and investigation”.

Its South-east Asia regional director Dr William Schaedla said the prosecution had failed to produce any new charges or evidence in the past year and a half despite claming further investigations were part of its strategy.

He pointed out that Wong's laptop and mobile phones, confiscated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), should have provided the prosecution insight into his international wildlife trade dealings.

“There is no indication that Wong's business contacts or associations were ever investigated,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Wong, who was convicted on Sept 6 last year of illegally exporting boa constrictors by the Sepang Sessions Court, was initially sentenced to six months jail and fined RM190,000.

Heated protests by non-governmental organisations and the public resulted in the High Court's decision to extend his jail term to five years.

However, the Court of Appeal through a three-member panel chaired by Justice Datuk Wira Low Hop Bing, agreed on Wednesday to reduce Wong's jail term from five years to 17 months and 15 days.

Dr Schaedla also refuted Justice Low's statement that Wong, 54, was a first-time offender, pointing out that he was previously sentenced to 71 months jail and fined US$60,000 (RM180,629) for money laundering linked to wildlife trade in the United States.

“It beggars belief that no effort was made to introduce these prior infractions in the context of the present case,” he said, adding that Wong was also reported compounded for a previous permit violation here.

Dr Schaedla said it now fell to the the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to ensure Wong's licenses remain revoked so he would be unable to trade in any wildlife.

He said Malaysia's push for better laws and enforcement were useless if these were how wildlife cases were treated and warned that this would have long-term impact on the fight against wildlife crime.

“Traffickers will simply work small fines and short jail stays into their calculations as a cost of business. Frontline authorities who put their lives at risk catching these criminals will be defeated in their efforts,” he said.

2 Stories - Anson Wong Freed & Iman threw shoes at Judges

Wednesday February 22, 2012
Wildlife trader Anson Wong freed after court reduces jail term

PUTRAJAYA: International wildlife trader Anson Wong Keng Liang walked out a free man Wednesday after the Court of Appeal here allowed his appeal to reduce the jail sentence imposed on him for illegally exporting boa constrictor snakes without a permit.

Justice Datuk Wira Low Hop Bing, chairing a three-member panel, reduced Wong's jail term from five years to 17-and-a-half months.

The panel, also comprising Court of Appeal judges Datuk K.N. Segara and Datuk Azahar Mohamed, held that the 17 months and 15 days jail term, which Wong had served from Sept 7, 2010 until Wednesday would serve the interests of justice.

The court allowed Wong's appeal to set aside a Shah Alam High Court's decision in enhancing his jail term from six months imposed by the Magistrate's Court on him to five years jail.

"The appellant (Wong) would walk out this court today a free man in view of the custodial sentence he served," said Justice Low.

Justice Low said the High Court in enhancing the jail term on Wong, had erroneously considered certain facts such as the squeezing of the 95 boa constrictor snakes into a small bag, thereby torturing the snakes.

He said the High Court judge had also erroneously considered two venomous rhinocerous viper snakes (found in Wong's bag) but were not stated in the charge against Wong and also the fact that Wong was greedy in profit making.

Low said the charge against Wong was one of exporting the 95 boa constrictor snakes without a permit, therefore any other considerations would be outside the ambit of the charge which warranted the Court of Appeal's intervention.

He said the High Court did not make any reference to Wong's guilty plea.

"It is trite law that Wong's plea of guilt is a mitigating factor. It is trite law that the fact Wong was the first offender is another mitigating factor," he said.

The panel also affirmed the High Court's decision in setting aside the RM190,000 fine imposed on Wong by the Sepang Sessions Court as it was beyond the ceiling of RM10,000 which the Sessions Court could legally impose.

On Jan 24 last year, the 53-year-old trader obtained leave from the Court of Appeal to appeal against the decision of the High Court on Nov 4 last year which had enhanced his jail term from six months to five years.

On Sept 6, last year, the Sepang Magistrate's Court sentenced Wong to six months' jail and fined him RM190,000 after the Penangite pleaded guilty to illegally exporting the endangered species without a permit at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang at 8.50pm on Aug 26, last year.

Wong was in KLIA on transit from Penang to Jakarta when the snakes were found in his suitcase.

The High Court imposed the five-year jail term on Wong after allowing the prosecution's appeal for a heavier sentence. The court, however, set aside the RM190,000 fine.

Wong was represented by lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah while Deputy Public Prosecutor Manoj Kurup appeared for the prosecution. - Bernama

------------
KUDOS!

Malaysia: Angry Imam threw his shoes at Three Senior Judges at the Federal Court
Asianews
22.02.2012

An imam threw his shoes at three senior judges in the country’s highest court today after they struck out his bid to challenge an eviction order from a city mosque here four years ago.

Hoslan Hussin, 46, stunned the judges, lawyers and members of the public that packed a courtroom at the Federal Court this morning when he stood up, took off both his shoes and lobbed the pair right at the Bench.

Even more astounding perhaps was that the three-man Bench, chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya, Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, let the imam go without a fuss. They could have cited him for contempt of court. The judges were embarrassed.
“The courts have failed to uphold justice,” he told.
“I am an Imam. How can I keep quiet? I threw my shoes because I could no longer stand it. How can an Imam keep quiet when he sees injustice being done? I am not a coward,” he said.

How Corrupt Can Malaysia Be?

No action on international wildlife trafficking syndicate
Posted on 6 July 2011 - 06:14pm
Alyaa Alhadjri
thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR (July 6, 2011): PKR vice president N. Surendran today claimed that no action has been taken by the authorities to investigate "crucial evidence" which may lead to the crippling of an international wildlife trafficking syndicate allegedly operating in Malaysia.

Surendran, who is also the Malaysian Animal Rights Society (Roar) president, said the information could be obtained from Emilienne Justine Sarah – a Madagascar native who was arrested at KLIA in July last year for attempting to smuggle tortoises out of her country.

Emilliene was subsequently charged and detained for eight months at Kajang prison, where she gave birth to a baby boy and was transferred to Lenggeng detention camp before being deported to Madagascar last month.

At a press conference at PKR's headquarters, Surendran said Emilienne, while under detention in Lenggeng, had with the help of an animal rights activist lodged a police report which shed light on the "kingpins" involved in illegal wildlife trafficking.

"She was already under detention but the police did not make any effort to obtain the information from her, so she had to lodge an official report," he said.

In Emilienne's police report which Surendran distributed to the media, she named the notorious "Lizard King" Anson Wong who is now also behind bars as the person who had allegedly paid her US$600 (RM1,801) to smuggle in the tortoises from Madagascar.

Emilienne, who formerly worked as a waitress, said she needed the extra money to help support her family and was reassured that it would be a foolproof operation as custom officers in Madagascar and KLIA had allegedly been paid off.

"I first went to Penang in April last year and was told to contact a man named Vijay who owned a shop that sold tortoises, chameleons and snakes.

"When I met him (Vijay), he ordered me to transport various species of animals from Madagascar to Penang in July last year," she wrote in her police report which was lodged on June 23 at the Lenggeng station.

She said that two days prior to her departure for Malaysia from Madagascar, she was introduced to a man named Ong and his girlfriend who were responsible for packing the tortoises to be trafficked.

"While I was detained at Kajang prison, I found out that Ong's real name was Anson Wong. I was shown his picture and I can confirm that he was the man who hired me," said Emilienne.

Surendran, together with Lawyers for Liberty campaign director Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, called on the relevant authorities to investigate all claims made by Emillienne in her report and identify the man named "Vijay" who is purportedly operating in Penang.

"Wong is now behind bars, but his 'tentacles' are still spreading to as far as Madagascar. The authorities should take measures to use all information provided by Emilienne and crack down on these notorius characters," said Fadiah Nadwa.

MACC raids wildlife dept over ‘permit issue abuse’

September 25, 2010
By SEREAN LAU
The Star

PETALING JAYA: Anti-corruption officers raided the headquarters of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) in Cheras following allegations of abuse in the issuance of wildlife permits.

It was learnt that officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com­mission (MACC) went to the headquarters on Tuesday morning and carted away files, documents and laptops related to wildlife permits and licences to help in their investigations.

According to a source in the department, the MACC personnel asked for the office of a high-ranking officer in charge of the overall issuance and monitoring of wildlife permits and licences.

Although the officer, believed to be responsible for the support and recommendation in the approval of such permits was on leave, MACC personnel were allowed to enter the office.

It was believed that during the raid, several officers were also interviewed.

When contacted, a Perhilitan senior officer confirmed that MACC was at the headquarters to conduct an investigation but declined to elaborate.

He also refused to speculate if any wildlife permit issued to infamous wildlife trader Anson Wong or his family member had been revoked.

In confirming the incident, MACC investigations director Mustafar Ali insisted that it was merely “visit” and not a raid, but declined to comment further.

The headquarters is one of the three offices in the country - besides Penang and Johor branches - responsible for the issuance of wildlife permits.

There are three types of permits and licences for the handling of wild animals.

A licence is required to handle protected wildlife such as reticulated pythons and meerkats which fall under Schedule Two, Four and Five of the Protection of Wildlife Act while a special permit is necessary for totally protected species like Malayan tigers and Sumatran rhinoceros, and orang utan.

A Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) permit is required for all activities involving the import and export of wildlife listed under it such as snakes and turtles.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas had announced that the department would be undergoing a shake-up to weed out officers who were in cahoots with illegal wildlife traders.

The department had been dogged with allegations of corruption among its enforcement officers following Wong’s arrest at KL International Airport on Aug 26 for trying to smuggle out 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a Mata Mata turtle without a permit while on transit from Penang to Jakarta, Indonesia.

The ministry, particularly Perhilitan, had been heavily criticised by conservation groups after Wong was sentenced on Sept 6 to six months’ jail and fined RM190,000 by the Sepang Sessions Court.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers is appealing against the sentence while a Penang National Park and Wildlife Department director was reportedly transferred to another state effective Oct 1.

Chicken Feed Jail Term of Bolehland

Anson Wong gets 6 mths' jail, RM190,000 fine

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 6, 2010): A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined RM190,000 for trying to smuggle 95 snakes out of the country, a sentence that campaigners said was too light.

Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept 13.

Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to RM100,000 for each snake up to a maximum of RM1 million or both.

Wong was detained when in transit from Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug 26 when staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.

They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.

The US Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.

TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian authorities to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.

"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director William Schaedla. — Reuters

More news here

Anson Wong pleads guilty to exporting snakes without permit

Thursday September 2, 2010 MYT 4:31:23 PM
BY M.MAGESWARI
Star

SEPANG: A businessman pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court here Wednesday to exporting 95 snakes without permit last week.

He posted bail on Thursday.

Wong Keng Liang, better known as Anson Wong, 52, believed to be an international wildlife trader, admitted to exporting 95 Boa Constrictor - which is endangered species - without permit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8.50pm on Aug 26.

The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake and variable in drawing and color. They are very adaptable and live in a number of habitats in different climates.

It is a member of the Boidae family found in Central America, South America and some islands in the Caribbean.

The snakes were found in a luggage bag while Wong was in transit from Penang to Jakarta.

Wong could be fined a maximum of RM100,000 or jailed up to seven years or both under Section 10(a) of the International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008.

Prosecuting officer Faridz Gohim Abdullah, from Perhilitan (Wildlife and National Parks Department), applied to the court to set his bail at RM50,000 in one surety.

Sessions Court judge Zulhelmy Hasan set his bail at RM50,000 in one surety. Zulhelmy also ordered Wong to surrender his passport pending disposal of the case.

The judge set Sept 6 for mention pending appointment of a lawyer.

Meanwhile, Wong posted bail Thursday.

It had been reported by The Star in February that Wong had been linked to a Dec 15 seizure in the United States of various types of animals from an exotic animal outlet.

Two of the trader’s companies were found to have been supplying animals to the outlet.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) had claimed that CBS Wildlife and Sungai Rusa Wildlife, both owned by Wong, were supplying various types of animals and wildlife to US Global Exotics (USGE).

Wong pleaded guilty to trafficking in wildlife in the US and was sentenced to 71 months jail in 2000.

NGOs welcome transparency to curb illegal wildlife trade

Tuesday January 26, 2010
Star

PETALING JAYA: Environmental groups welcome the Government’s intention to make wildlife special permits approval a more transparent process, to curb the illegal trade in wildlife contributing to species extinction.

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma suggested that a formal committee be set up with relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) sitting in by invitation.

“This committee also needs a specific Terms of Reference (ToR) so its role and responsibilities are known, and the membership can be reviewed yearly,” he said, adding that wildlife offenders should not be granted special permits.

On Sunday, The Star reported Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas as saying that he had taken over the chairmanship of the Special Permit Committee from the director-general of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).

He also said the ministry would solicit NGOs’ views to improve the Special Permit system which has been blamed for facilitating animal smuggling.

Traffic Southeast Asia, the wildlife trade monitoring network, praised the minister for taking a personal interest in the matter by addressing issues within the existing system.

“We welcome such transparency and accountability. We hope the ministry will make public the other members of this committee, and how NGOs can work with the ministry and Perhilitan to make the process more credible,” said its senior communication officer Elizabeth John.

Both WWF and Traffic called for guidelines for special permits application, a mechanism for monitoring permit holders and a review process.

Under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, totally protected species or species on Schedules One and Three include highly endangered mammals, reptiles and marine creatures like the orang utan, tiger, rhinoceros, dolphin, crocodile and certain snakes and lizards as well as 454 species of birds.

Animal rights groups, however, called on Uggah to make public the results of the investigation into alleged mismanagement and corruption within Perhilitan.

Uggah had said that a special audit unit had been set up to review the rules and procedures of all enforcement agencies under the ministry, which includes Perhilitan.

It is learnt that the unit was formed following a Starprobe report last August featuring notorious wildlife trader Anson Wong, who denied that he was protected but spoke approvingly of a high-ranking Perhi­litan official.

President of Malaysia Animal Rights Society (ROAR) N. Surendran said the ministry must view seriously the report lodged against the official with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

“It is highly improper for someone in a position like the official to be supporting a convicted trafficker by renewing his special permit while he served a sentence for wildlife trafficking in the United States,” he said.