Man sentenced for illegal possession of hunting rifle

February 22, 2013 9:59 AM

PHILIPSBURG--A 46-year-old man was sentenced in the Court of First Instance to 12 months suspended, with two years' probation and a NAf. 2,000 fine, for illegal possession of a hunting rifle with ammunition.

 
Sporting a shirt with his company's name on the back, Harley Davidson's General Manager Fadi Hasbani confessed to the crime.
 
The weapon and ammunition were found during a search of Hasbani's house on August 2, 2012. The house was rented out to Venezuelan national M.M., who is suspected of drug trade and money-laundering.
 
Hasbani said he had received the weapon from a former employee of the motorcycle store. He had put it in a closet in the hallway, had thought when he moved out of the house and had left the weapon where it was.
 
Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp qualified the defendant's behaviour as "exceptionally careless and incautious."
 
"The uncontrolled possession of firearms is a serious crime. The Prosecutor's Office requests severe punishments," she said. She requested 12 months suspended, two years' probation and 120 hours of community service.
 
Hasbani spent one day in pre-trial detention.
 
In his client's defence, attorney-at-law Cor Merx pointed to the fact that the weapon, which had been stored in a case, had never been used "for committing crimes, or otherwise." Notwithstanding this, his client had feared repercussions if he had handed the weapon over to the police, Merx said.
 
The attorney also pointed to the fact that, according to him, his client could not be held legally accountable for the weapon, because it had not been in his possession when it was found. "He had rented out his house and no longer had a key," Merx stated, claiming that his client should be acquitted.
 
However, Merx admitted that his client had been "thoughtless and ignorant" when he accepted the rifle. "My client thought he only needed a permit if he took the rifle outside," the lawyer said.
Merx also stated that it would be difficult for his client to fulfil the community service obligation, because he worked six days a week "and nobody wants to work on Sundays."
 
He further told the Court that his client's wife suffered from a very serious illness for which she received treatment in Paris. His client travels to France regularly to spend time with his wife and children, and community service would limit his travel options, the attorney claimed.
 
Considering this, the Judge decided not to impose community service, but to issue a fine instead.

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