Aceh traders face imprisonment, fine over tiger skins
Prosecutors made this sentencing demand during a recent session at the Takengon District Court, Hasrul, head of the Intelligence Unit at the Central Aceh Prosecutor's Office, stated.
The prosecutors said sufficient evidence showed Maskur, Santoso, Jaharuddin, Ruhman, and Saprizal were involved in the transaction of the Sumatran tiger skins and body parts, he told Antara on Wednesday.
The prosecutors, therefore, called on the judges to sentence Maskur to six years' imprisonment and a fine of Rp100 million or an additional three months in jail, and to sentence the four other defendants to four years in prison.
Jaharuddin, Ruhman, and Saprizal were also asked to pay a fine of Rp100 million or face another four months of imprisonment, while Santoso should pay the same fine or serve another three months in jail.
The prosecutors claimed the defendants violated Articles 40A (1) and 21 (2) of Law No.32 of 2024 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, and Article 55 (1) of the Criminal Code.
The Takengon District Court's panel of judges adjourned the trial until Monday, Aug 11, to hear the defendants' defence notes, he stated.
According to Hasrul, Jaharuddin, Ruhman, and Saprizal found a dead Sumatran tiger in a trap they set to catch deer in a forest area of Gewat Village, Linge Sub-district, Central Aceh, on March 11, 2025.
Due to financial needs ahead of the Muslims' Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of this year's holy month of Ramadan, they decided to sell the tiger skins and parts to Maskur.
"Maskur gave them one million rupiah, but local cops arrested Maskur along with his companion, Santoso, during the transaction of the tiger skins and body parts in the district on March 14, 2025," he added.
Sumatran tigers, the smallest tiger subspecies, are critically endangered and found only on Sumatra, Indonesia's second-largest island.
Tigers are on the brink of extinction owing to deforestation, poaching, and conflicts between wild animals and local people caused by shrinking habitats. - Bernama- Antara
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