Date:10/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091055771300.htm

National

Czech nationals found guilty in insect smuggling case

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The two Czech nationals arrested from Darjeeling, West Bengal, in June for smuggling rare insects out of the Singalila National Park have been found guilty by a local court of offences under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The sentence will be passed on Wednesday.

The offences include entering the national park without due permission, destruction of habitats in the sanctuary and illegal trade in wildlife. Chief Judicial Magistrate, Darjeeling, U.K. Nandy, pronounced them guilty on Monday.

The sentence could range from a minimum of three years to a maximum of seven, Utpal Nag, assistant divisional forest officer, Wildlife Division I, told The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling on Tuesday.

The trial of Petr Svecha and Emil Kucera started on June 23. Their arrests caught the attention of the international scientific community.

Petitions were made out for their release on bail and for speedy trial, especially considering that Mr. Svecha was a senior scientist at the Institute of Entomology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The men were incarcerated in a Darjeeling jail for over a month following their arrest.

Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek was directed by his government to follow the developments. Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic had taken an interest in the case and the Czech government was in touch with the Indian Ambassador.

The men had smuggled out nearly 2,400 specimens of insects, including beetles, moths, butterflies and even pupa from the national park, Mr. Nag said. Some of the specimens were alive, some in incubation.