Admin l Tuesday, May 15, 2018
MOSCOW,Russia – Justice Ministry is currently proposing a bill to put in place siffer penalty for any body involved in catching and illegal sale of rare animals. The bill hopes to protect aquatic biological resources that are listed in the Red Book or protected by international treaties, the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, under the bill, capture and sale of rare animals and aquatic biological resources would by punishable by community service or imprisonment to a term of up to 4 years instead of currently envisaged 3-year terms.
Tougher punishment would be extended to all persons who commit these crimes with the use of official position. Currently, this provision applies only to officials. Moreover, penalties would be introduced for collusive crimes committed by members of organized groups.
From 2015 to 2017, over 2,000 people were prosecuted for illegal catching ang selling red-listed animals and aquatic biological resources. In total, 3,500 crimes were revealed in this field, according to the Justice Ministry.
