Five men pleaded guilty to poaching charges Thursday January 8 at the Supreme Court, backtracking on previous pleas they entered last year on the same charges.

Although Thursday was originally scheduled as the first trial date of the case against the poachers, defence attorney Danny Lucas cited a change of consensus among the defendants, who collectively decided to plead guilty before presiding Justice Bernadin Renaud.

Justice Renaud then convicted each of the men on two counts of violating provisions of the Wild Animals and Birds Protection act, one count for the illegal killing of turtles and another for the illegal possession of turtle meat.

After the conviction, Senior State Counsel Ronnie Govinden read aloud the facts of the case, detailing the poachers’ arrest in an early morning operation that included the police, the Coast Guard and environment officials.

Mr Govinden said the five-man crew of the Galate disembarked from La Digue on October 7, hunting for sea cucumbers, sharks and turtles in the vicinity of Denis Island before the boat was boarded by authorities on October 11 about 200 metres off the island’s coast.

Police found 102 kilograms of what a Ministry of Environment expert later identified as turtle meat, stuffed in three gunny bags on board.

The poachers are to have their sentences passed down on March 1, after probation officers have submitted reports to Justice Renaud for use in determining the sentences of the poachers.

The men could face a fine anywhere between R5,000 and R500,000, along with a possible jail term of no more than two years, said Jason Jacquelyn, the legal advisor to the Ministry of Environment.

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