An appeal court in Hanoi has upheld the sentence of a major player in Vietnam’s illegal tiger trading.
Pham Duc Hoa was busted last year in the capital’s Long Bien district along with three others while transporting a dead tiger. He will continue to serve his 15 months sentence based on the appeal verdict. The judges specifically referenced ENV’s intervention in the case and rejected the extenuating circumstances presented to the court by Pham Duc Hoa’s legal team.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, a female illegal wildlife internet trader was sentenced to 18 months for attempting to sell bear products on Facebook. The prison sentence could potentially have been longer but was reduced due to the subject now being pregnant.