Banjul Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Magistrate B.Y. Camara, on Thursday convicted and sentenced three Chinese nationals for unlicensed exportation of Gambian forest resources.

The three, Cheung Hung-on, Tsaihan Sheng and Yili Yu Serenagu, were each sentenced to a fine of D2000 in default to serve one year imprisonment.

According to the facts of the case, the new Secretary of State for Forestry and Environment set up a task force led by the Permanent Secretary, to check the use and movement of forestry products.

The facts further stated that the task force, in the course of their findings, had a meeting with log dealers. Among the issues discussed, he revealed, was the massive logging of forestry products.

The facts added that the task force visited the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA), where they found some containers loaded with logs in readiness for export. When the suspects were requested to produce documents such as clearance certificate from the Department of State for Forestry and Environment, they admitted not being in possession of any. The matter was thus reported to the police and suspects were arrested and charged with the offence committed, the facts concluded.