Impact: Court Case In Namibia Opened Following An Investigation

Wildlife trafficking is often a highly sophisticated operation, involving a network of individuals and/or organisations that operate across multiple borders. The financial component of this crime is often both complex and cross-jurisdictional, requiring advanced investigative techniques. But without concrete financial evidence, it is challenging to secure convictions against the key organisers. The lack of a money trail thus remains a critical gap in the fight against wildlife crime.

The 'Chinese Flying Money' investigation published in 2019 by Oxpeckers and supported by Journalismfund Europe Money Trail grant programme and the OCCRP, revealed how feiqian, or so called 'Chinese flying money', finances wildlife crime, including rosewood smuggling and poaching of rhinos and elephants.

Over the course of the 2010s, this financial settlement scheme has become increasingly visible in the surge in wildlife contraband trade, stimulated by a global shortage of hard currency. The pre-trial hearing in Namibia following this investigation will start in June 2025: A Namibian businessman and seven Chinese citizens are accused of fraud involving more than N$3 billion and are facing nearly 1,600 criminal charges in the Windhoek High Court. The actual trial is follow in 2026, between January and May.