Father-son Defendant Of Tiger Skin Seller In Aceh Sentenced To 16 Months In Prison

The panel of judges at the Idi District Court, East Aceh Regency, sentenced two defendants selling skin and body parts of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) to 16 months each or 1 year and 4 months in prison.

The verdict was read out by the panel of judges chaired by Dikdik Haryadi and accompanied by Asra Saputra and Reza Bastira Siregar respectively as member judges at the trial at the Idi District Court in East Aceh, Wednesday, June 5.

The two defendants, namely Kaderi and Murhaban. The two defendants are father and son of a resident of Seuleumak Village, Serbajadi District, East Aceh Regency. The defendant Kaderi is a state civil servant (ASN) who works at the Serbajadi sub-district office.

The trial took place virtually. The two defendants attended the trial from the Class IIB Idi Penitentiary, East Aceh Regency, where both have been detained.

In addition to imprisonment, the panel of judges also sentenced the two defendants to pay a fine of Rp. 40 million on the condition that if the fine was not paid, it was replaced with imprisonment for two months.

"Declaring that the defendants are found guilty of violating Article 21 paragraph (2) letters b and d in conjunction with Article 40 paragraph (2) of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning the conservation of biological natural resources and their ecosystem in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code," said the panel of judges.

The panel of judges declared the two defendants legally and convincingly guilty of committing a criminal act by deliberately transporting and trading protected bodies or other parts of the animals.

"Evidence in the form of a complete Sumatran tiger skin, the bones and the skull of the tiger were confiscated to be handed over to the Aceh BKSDA," said the panel of judges.

The sentence is lighter than the demands of the public prosecutor (JPU). At the previous trial, Public Prosecutor Risky Rosiwa from the East Aceh District Attorney demanded that the two defendants be sentenced to two years in prison each and a fine of Rp. 40 million, subsidiary to four months in prison.

Kaderi dan Murhaban ditangkap tim Direktorat Reserse Kriminal Khusus (Ditreskrimsus) Polda Aceh di Desa Tualang, Peureulak, Kabupaten Aceh Timur, pada 19 Januari 2024.

During the arrest, the father and son admitted that they were waiting for buyers of tiger skin and body parts as well as bones for protected wildlife.