Legal woes continue to follow Hou Xuecheng (47), a Chinese businessman who is suspected of being a merchant in endangered species after he was arrested in Rundu on a warrant for failure to pay a traffic ticket in 2020.
This was revealed on Monday when Xuecheng failed to appear for his plea and trial hearing in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Jurina Hochobes.
His lawyer, Jermaine Muchali, informed the court that Xuecheng was arrested last week in Rundu on a traffic ticket dated 21 August 2020 and is held in custody due to the time that lapsed since the ticket was issued. He asked for a postponement to this week, Thursday or Friday, but there are no prosecutors available. The magistrate postponed the matter to 21 August and extended Xuecheng’s bail of N$10 000.
He was to appeal on a charge of assault by threat for allegedly threatening to shoot and kill Chinese businesswoman Stina Wu on 20 November 2024 in Windhoek. He was arrested on 28 November and made his first appearance on 2 December when bail was denied, and he was held in custody in the Windhoek Police Station holding cells. He was eventually released on bail of N$10 000 after a successful bail application on 24 December under strict conditions.
He must report two times a week, on Mondays and Fridays, between the hours of 8h00 and 18h00 at the Windhoek Police Station, must have no direct or indirect contact with the complainant and must hand over his firearms, one pistol and one rifle, to the Namibian Police until the finalisation of the case.
It was further ordered that he shall not commit any other offence while out on bail, must not leave the district of Windhoek without the written permission of the investigating officer and shall not in any way interfere with State witnesses or police investigations. He is also not allowed to apply for a passport or travel documents while his case is pending.
Xuecheng, who is no stranger to Namibian courts, has been in the news several times for allegedly exporting endangered rosewood trees illegally. He was also charged with possession of dealing in four elephant tusks with a combined weight of 54 kilogrammes, valued at N$598 000, in Windhoek on 11 June 2014.
He was further charged with possessing controlled wildlife products without a permit.
In respect of those charges, the prosecution is alleging that Xuecheng was in possession of a cheetah skin and a leopard skin in Windhoek on 12 June 2014 without having the required permits to possess the skins and that he also had seven zebra skins, a pangolin skin and a stuffed leopard head in his possession at China Town in Windhoek on 11 October 2014 without having permits to possess those wildlife products.