Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers raided the Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) Tuesday morning and seized a computer and files from the office of Perhilitan’s Deputy Director General Misliah Mohd. Basir.
Misliah Mohd. Basir
Read the story in The Star and in the NST.
Today, in Malaysia, judge Zulhelmy Hasan sentenced Anson Wong to 6 months jail time and fined him 191,000 MYR ($61,000) for smuggling wildlife without a permit.
It is a significant exercise of Malaysia’s brand new wildlife law, the International Trade in Endangered Species Act, though it is only half the one-year sentence two women from Madagscar recently got under the same law. Anson was potentially facing 1 million MYR fine and up to 7 years in jail.
Agents seized Anson’s Nokia cell phone[s] and his Toshiba laptop computer at the airport, and though Anson’s lawyer asked for them back, the judge agreed that under the new law material related to a crime can be kept by investigators. Anson’s cell phone and laptop offer a potential trove of info, since he communicates regularly on both with dealers around the world.
Anson’s attorney asked for leniency since it was “his first offense in Malaysia.” He also said Anson promised never to do it again. For his part, Anson stood for photographs during bathroom breaks and exchanged business cards with press in the hallway.
As the prosecutor in the case said, “Malaysia has been trying to clean up its reputation as a wildlife trafficking hub, but Wong keeps ignoring that…” He emphasized that Wong’s activities “have damaged Malaysia’s reputation.”
Some Clips:
From The Star From Malay Mail From BBC From Mongabay.com