Chinese diplomats were not involved in ivory trafficking

The Government has clarified that the two Chinese nationals implicated in the export of ivory scandal are not part of the accredited diplomats in the embassy of the People's Republic of China in Uganda, like it had been claimed earlier.

In a press statement issued to the media dated June 12, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Patrick Mugoya, regretted the negative impact the incident could have caused to the Chinese embassy.

Mugoya referred to the recent local and international reports quoting a leaked letter from President Yoweri Museveni, asking the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to investigate the alleged collaboration by some Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials with some Chinese by the names of Li Wejin and Yinzhi who are diplomats in the embassy to export ivory, among others.

He stressed that following a thorough review of its (Ministry of Internal Affairs) records, it was confirmed that both Li Wejin and Yainzhi were not accredited diplomats with the Chinese embassy

Last Month, President Museveni is said to have ordered an investigation.into a possible collusion between UWA and two Chinese officials in the trafficking of ivory. He also ordered the IGG to probe the disappearance of 1,335 kilogrammes (2,943 pounds) of ivory from UWA stores, worth more than $1m (over sh3b) in November 2014.

The scandal led to the suspension of five UWA officials. The President's directive is the second probe into the scandal, following reports that some Chinese nationals were involved. It is alleged that the said culprits were colluding in the movement of ivory from the DR Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, using Uganda as a transit point.

It is estimated that about 35,000 elephants are killed across Africa annually for ivory, which are high on demand in Asia. UWA has on several occasions indicated that poaching was on the rise in the region and the continent at large. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the ivory trade in 1989.

However, China permits the resale of ivory bought before the 1989 ban and also has a stockpile purchased with CITES approval in 2008, which it releases for sale with certification.