Two charged with illegally selling ivory artworks

Prosecutors in Beijing's Xicheng district said on Tuesday that they have charged two people suspected of illegally selling ivory.

The two suspects, surnamed Liu and Ye, allegedly processed nearly 14 kilograms of ivory, valued at about 600,000 yuan ($99,300), and sold it to the public, the prosecutors said.

Since June 2010, the two had rented a room to process and sell artworks made of wood and ivory without any business license, according to the prosecuting authority.

At first, the pair only processed wood artworks but, from April 2013, they started making products of ivory because they realized the profits were much higher than for wood artworks, the prosecutors said.

“I know it is illegal to make ivory products, but what I didn't think the fees for the artistry are illegal,” Liu told the prosecutors after arrest.

Zhang Lei, one of the district's prosecutors, said Asian and African elephants in the wild face extinction and must be protected.

As per a judicial interpretation issued by the top court, people who illegally buy, transport or sell wild animals that are endangered species, or products from those animals, must be punished, Zhang added.