MOSHI Resident Magistrate’s Court sentenced an Indian national, Anurag Jain, to six years in prison or a fine of 10.5m/-, after being found guilty of possessing and exporting tanzanite without legal permit.
Senior State Attorney, Mr Abdalla
Chavulla said on December 15 last year, Jain was found in possession of
2,015.59gms of rough and unpolished tanzanite worth 310,137.255 US
dollars contrary to section 18(1)and (4) of the mining Act No 14, 2010.
He was arrested at Kilimanjaro
International Airport (KIA), while trying to export them to Hong Kong in
China, as opposed to the passage of the Mining Act number 14 section 18
(1) and (4) of 2010.
He said in the process of exporting,
Jain collaborated with some police officers at the airport, of which one
fled to unknown destination, while two others have been included on the
case after investigations were completed.
He explained that the police officers
were the ones who handed the minerals to the suspect in one of the
toilets at the airport, before heading to the departure area.
It was at that moment that other police
officers were suspicious and arrested him after searching his bag and
was found with rough and unpolished tanzanite.
After reading the charges, the accused
pleaded guilty before Resident Magistrate Mr Joachim Tiganga who
sentenced him to six years in jail or pay a fine of 10.5 million
shillings.
Tiganga said Jain has been found guilty
on two counts, one of being found in possession of tanzanite, of which
he was punished three years imprisonment or 5 million/- fine, and a
second offence was that of exporting tanzanite without a permit where he
was sentenced to three years imprisonment or pay a fine of 5.5 million
shillings. The suspect paid the fines
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