Two face new sentence after serving 36-month terms
TWO Chinese nationals who have just finished serving a 36-month jail term for operating an illegal fish processing establishment are expected to be sentenced again today in the Port Elizabeth High Court for a similar offence.
Soon after Zhenyong Huang, 32, and Kekun Pan, 53, were sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment on November 17 2014, the state decided to institute a racketeering charge against the two men. Huang and Pan were arrested alongside Brett Killian, 28, of Forest Hill, who has since turned state witness in the case against suspected perlemoen kingpin Morne Blignault and a number of co-accused.
Huang and Pan’s sentence was instituted after they entered into a plea agreement with the state for conducting an illegal R5.25-million perlemoen processing plant on the Oliphant’s Kop farm in the Grassridge area near Coega.
In their plea explanation, read out in court, the pair said: “We admit that the purpose of the enterprise was to engage in the illegal fishing, collecting, keeping, processing, transporting of abalone without a permit at an illegal fish processing establishment.”
Their new sentence is expected to be decided today, with the court also to decide whether or not the men will be deported as they are in the country illegally.
The other co-accused in the case are Blignault, 46, of Kragga Kamma, his ex-wife, Marshelle, 38, Jacob Nau- mann, 34, of Loerie, Frederick Nance, 24, of Woodlands, Petrus Smith, 31, of Sydenham, and Willie Nance, 56.
The court ordered a separation of trial after Huang and Pan pleaded guilty, with Blignault and his co-accused now to stand trial from January 31.
According to a detailed charge sheet, the Blignaults and Naumann set up the illegal fish-processing establishment on the farm.
Naumann allegedly leased the warehouse on the farm and assisted the Blignaults by securing and ar- ranging the transportation, storing and processing of the perlemoen.
The state alleges Frederick and Willie Nance, Smith, Huang and Pan were employed by the enterprise.
Frederick Nance and Smith were responsible for transporting the perlemoen, gas and salt to the processing establishment, the charge sheet alleges.
Huang and Pan allegedly received, processed, cooked, dried and packed the perlemoen before Nance transported it to a house he leased in Waterford Street, Bridgemead.