Three Russians fined over Rs. 8 mn for bio-piracy | Daily News

Three Russians fined over Rs. 8 mn for bio-piracy

Three Russians who pleaded guilty to attempting bio-piracy was ordered to pay a fine of more than Rs.08 million by the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court recently, the highest fine imposed by the country’s courts for such a crime.

The case against Russians had 102 charges of attempting to smuggle 529 animals and plant parts belonging to 23 special species captured from various parts of the country, including the Horton Plains National Park,

The three Russians had collected them from the Horton Plains National Park, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Habarana, Yala, Ginigathena, Jaffna and other areas. Horton Plains National Park officials arrested a man on February 26, 2020 and filed a case in the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court for bio-piracy and officials later found a large number of animal and plant species protected by the Fauna and Flora Act hidden in special containers at a tourist lodge in Nuwara Eliya. The verdict in the case was announced after a lengthy trial that lasted nearly two years. This is considered the highest fines and highest indictment ever imposed by a Court in the history of a case filed by the Wildlife Department.


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