Anton Ras, brother of alleged rhino poaching kingpin Hugo Ras, leaving the dock on Tuesday.
The State closed its case on Tuesday against Anton Ras, the brother of Hugo Ras, the alleged mastermind behind a large-scale rhino poaching syndicate, following a more than a decade-long legal battle over allegations regarding rhino horns that the state claims he obtained in an irregular manner.
Ras is facing six charges ranging from fraud, theft, the illegal transport of rhino horns and also that he contravened various provisions of the National Environmental Management and Biodiversity Act (Nemba).
The charges against him stem from the hunt of an injured white rhinoceros in which he was involved in 2010. According to the indictment, Anton, in his capacity as a professional hunter, assisted in the hunting of the rhino on the Copperfield farm in Potchefstroom, North West, on 13 February 2010.
It is said that Anton failed to inform a conservation official of the hunt, as previously agreed. The rhino horns were not micro-chipped as required by law, and the horns were separated from the trophy after the hunt and prior to it being delivered to the taxidermy.
