A South African court has sentenced a Democratic Republic of Congo national named Francis Kipampa to 18 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in money laundering linked to illegal rhino trade.
“It is the first time an individual has been successfully prosecuted for their role in the illegal wildlife trade linked to serious financial offenses,” the international NGO Save the Rhino said in its statement.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said 51-year-old Kipampa was arrested in 2022 alongside 14 other co-accused. Two of them, Chikwa David Maluleke and Solly Ubisi, who were rangers at Kruger National Park, were charged with providing tactical information to rhino poaching syndicates in exchange for “substantial sums of money.” The money was transferred into the bank accounts of their family members, who were among those arrested alongside Kipampa.
The arrests were part of a multiyear investigation called Project Blood Orange involving various South African law enforcement agencies and the auditing firm KPMG South Africa. The latter used financial forensics to investigate the flow of money into the accounts of the accused. Save the Rino financially supported the investigation, the NGO said.
“Project Blood Orange showcases the power of financial forensic investigations in uncovering compelling evidence. It’s a game-changer for tackling organised wildlife crime, and we hope similar approaches can be implemented in other jurisdictions,” Cathy Dean, Save the Rhino grants lead, said in a statement.
On Jan. 15, Kipampa pleaded guilty at the Middelburg Regional Court to all charges including conspiring to traffic rhino horns, money laundering, and the violation of local immigration laws.
A representative for Save the Rhino told Mongabay it’s unclear what Kipampa’s exact role is in the poaching syndicate without the release of his testimony, but his case was heard first due to his acceptance of the plea deal. As part of the deal, eight of Kipampa’s 18-year sentence is suspended on condition that he doesn’t commit the same crimes in the next five years.
The court also ordered the confiscation of assets worth 5 million rand (about $268,000).
Kipampa’s co-accused, who were previously released on bail, were supposed to go on trial on Jan. 20, but the trial date has been postponed, the Save the Rhino representative told Mongabay.
Minister Dion George of South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, said in a statement that the sentencing is indicative of the country’s “renewed zero-tolerance stance on all forms of poaching.”
He added he was “disheartened” that Kipampa had worked with wildlife rangers.
N.J. Gerber, a police general who heads the police’s elite Hawks unit in Mpumalanga province, where part of Kruger park lies, said in a statement that his team “will go after the proceeds generated through illegal activities with all the means at our disposal.”
Banner image of a white rhino at Kruger National Park in South Africa, by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.
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