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The government of Tanzania has obtained an injunction restraining the Malawi government from torching down the stoke piles of Ivory valued at around $7.5m at Mzuzu High Court.
The burning of the said ivory was scheduled to take place today at Mzuzu High Court premises as one way of Malawi’s government commitment in fighting the illegal trade.
The Tanzania government through its lawyer, who applied for an injunction at Mzuzu High Court, argues that part of the Ivory that the government is intending to destroy is believed to have smuggled in their country.
The court document seen by FaceofMalawi indicates that the Tanzania government wants to claim ownership of the said smuggled Ivory.
Early this year, President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika called off the burning exercise due to the fact that part of the Ivory was supposed to be used in Court as exhibit.
Mutharika through his then Spokesperson Kondwani Nankhumwa hinted that the process will go on once the case is concluded.
“While Government remains committed to fight wildlife crime, including protection of iconic species of elephants and rhinos, which are key for tourism promotion in Malawi, it is important that the entire stockpile of ivory is destroyed once and for all,” said Nankhumwa.
The decision to burn the said Ivory received criticism from all corners in the country with others describing it as waste of foreign earnings to the country.
