Translated from French by an automated online translation service, so please excuse the roughness. See link for original. Thank you to Anne Dillon for finding the article and doing the online translating.
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News of the affair of the jewellers whose jewelry contained precious objects coming from protected animals. The persons implicated in affair, revealed our associates of the newspaper Inquiry, had the right to a return of Office of Public Prosecutor, according to the Popular.
This is actually an operation conducted by the Investigations Division (DIC), who arrested eight people, including brothers of the famous jeweler, Yoro Lam. All suspected in this investigation has been initiated following denunciations from international animal rights organizations, who have seized the Ministry of the Environment.
It would emerge from this affair, according to the Popular, that it is a matter of an order of bracelets concerning a 10 million franc sum. Bracelets fabricated based on hairs of tail of elephant. It is, in effect, according to convention CITES on protected kinds, which the elephants represent on the list of the protected animals.
And waiting to know what fate the Prosecutor will be reserved for those arrested, it must be said already that side Senegal’s Jewelers Association, we are already on a war footing. These jewelers are wondering since when is making bracelets with elephant hair a crime in Senegal.
For years, jewelers have used these objects and have never received any reprimand. They feel now all will be in danger and one foot in prison, at least if the matter knows an unfortunate result for their colleagues. On this basis, the Jewellers Association also said not to exclude a complaint against the infringement of which its members are subject.
Because not having brought any breach of any elephant to be accused of that. Better still, it says it is ready to fight international NGOs that address the accusations against Senegalese jewelers.