Posted on October, 12 2018
The said decision was pronounced on 10/10/2018 before the Appellants together with their counsels Mr. Wasonga and Mr. Machibya. The Respondent/Republic was represented by Mr. Salimu Msemo (State Attorney).
At the trial court, the duo was convicted and each sentenced to serve 12 years for two offences namely, "unlawful dealing in Government trophies (two years)" and "leading organized crime (10 years)"
In addition to the above jail sentence, three motor vehicles involved in the crimes were forfeited i.e. Canter, Rav 4 and Honda.
In March 2017 the Tanzanian court sentenced to 12 years in prison following the judge finding him guilty of the crimes he was accused of.
Boniface Matthew Mariango, nicknamed “The Devil” by law enforcement officials (or “Shetani” in Kiswahili), stands accused of killing thousands of elephants and of having links to 15 poaching gangs in five countries: Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia, Mozambique and southern Kenya.
He was arrested in October 2015 with his brothers Lucas Mathayo Malyango and Abdallah Ally Chaoga while attempting to smuggle 118 tusks worth over $863,000. Tanzania’s National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) caught the men on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam after a manhunt that lasted over a year.
Mariango, aged 47, was one of the poachers featured in the Netflix documentary film, The Ivory Game, produced by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
“WWF congratulates the Tanzanian authorities involved in Shetani’s arrest and successful prosecution,” Amani Ngusaru, WWF-Tanzania Country Director, said in a statement. “Poaching elephants for ivory is robbing Tanzania of its heritage. This prosecution sends out a strong message that Tanzania’s authorities are taking it seriously and are working to eliminate poaching in the country.”
