Influential Chinese businesswoman Qiaoxia ‘Stina’ Wu is under investigation for allegedly attempting to smuggle seal genitals from Namibia to China.
The shipment, which was not accompanied by the proper documentation, was later discovered to be undervalued.
Chinese authorities in Hong Kong flagged the shipment and alerted Namibia that suspicious cargo from Namibia, not accompanied by the relevant Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) documentation, had been intercepted. CITES aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
CRIMINAL CASE
In a new twist to the tale, authorities, who initially suspected Chinese businessman Hou Xue Cheng, have shifted their focus from Hou to Wu.
On 7 January, Hou was arrested at Hosea Kutako International Airport in connection with another case on suspicion of attempting to smuggle seal genitals – from Namibia to Angola. He was not granted bail and remains in custody.
Earlier, Hou was released on bail, in an assault by threat case in which Wu accused him of threatening to kill her on the same day, 24 December 2024, the seal genitals were smuggled out of Namibia.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the customs and excise act, the controlled wildlife product and trade act, the animal health act and the prevention of organised crime act, were contravened.
Authorities are now looking at pursuing criminal charges.
Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) spokesperson Tonateni Shidhudhu confirmed that an investigation is underway and that preliminary investigations point to a crime being committed.
“In this case, the exporter submitted false information to conceal the true nature of cargo, thereby engaging in smuggling, avoiding detection as a CITES-listed product and evading customs physical examination,” Shidhudhu said.
He said that had the exporter provided accurate information about the shipment, customs would have flagged it. This would have led to the required inspections and verification processes before the shipment was allowed to leave Namibian shores.
As a result of the preliminary findings, Shidhudhu said, a joint investigations task team had been assembled to look into the matter. It consists of officials from NamRA, the police, and the ministries of health and environment.
A government official briefed about the case told The Issue that Wu, a politically connected businesswoman, was now a key figure in the investigation. She is close friends with former police chief, now Ohangwena governor Sebastian Ndeitunga and labour minister Utoni Nujoma, as well as other senior figures in the police and the ruling party, Swapo.
IT WASN’T ME
Wu, denied any involvement with the transaction. She said her business dealings primarily involved property development and alleged the exporter of the seal genitals was Min ‘Charlie’ Xie.
Wu believes her name was probably linked to the transaction because she acquired shares in Xie’s Kingsway Plaza in Windhoek’s Central Business District. She said the fact that their offices are next to each other could also contribute to the confusion.
The Issue has seen documents indicating that Wu’s At Helmsman Group was involved in exporting the seal genitals to Hong Kong.
The 20 kg of seal bull genitals, worth about N$1million, was flagged in Hong Kong after it seamlessly made its way through Namibian customs and airport control on Christmas eve, 24 December 2024.
The shipment was listed as belonging to Virgo Biotechnology, which is owned by Min ‘Charlie’ Xie. Investigations by The Issue revealed that Virgo Biotechnology only applied for a CITES permit on 6 January 2025, two weeks after the shipment was intercepted.
In a letter of motivation to the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Forestry, Xie pleaded with the ministry to urgently issue a permit to the company because “at the time of exporting from Namibia, on or about 25 December 2024, we were not aware that Hong Kong subscribes to CITES requirements”.
MISUNDERSTANDING
“There is no criminal activity here,” Xie told The Issue. He said it was all a misunderstanding;
that it was his company’s first attempt to export goods of that nature and he hadn’t known a CITES certificate was required.
He said they were advised that they needed an export permit from the trade ministry, a certificate from the health ministry and customs documents, which he had complied with.
“No one told us about CITES and it was our first time,” he said.
Xie added that neither NamRA nor their customs clearing agent had notified him he needed CITES certification. He confirmed applying for the CITES certification afterwards because he wanted to clear the shipment which had been sent to China for “research purposes”.
NamRA’s Shidhudhu confirmed that the shipment’s declared value was US$407, approximately N$7 300, while it was actually worth about N$1 million.
“This discrepancy suggests an attempt to manipulate the value for purposes that may include tax evasion or other illicit activities,” he said in an email response to The Issue.
Xie refuted this claim by the revenue agency. “The 20kg was for free, for testing. It was not for commercial purposes,” he said.
He told The Issue he did not under-declare the shipment’s value. He said this particular shipment didn’t cost anything and that Virgo Biotechnology only underwrote the transport costs.
He added that the consignment, valued at N$1 million, which authorities are referring to, is still in storage, in his custody, in Namibia.
Xie said he bought the seal genitals from Uukumwe YEC, a fishing company with rights to harvest seals from Luderitz. Xie insisted Uukumwe had given him a free consignment in the hope of a future business partnership involving setting up a factory to convert seal products into beauty and skincare products.
However, Uukumwe director Julius Namoloh told The Issue that he needed to investigate Xie’s claims because as far as he knew no seal genitals were given to Xie for free.
AT ODDS WITH NAMRA
This is not Stina Wu’s first entanglement with the law and NamRA. Last year, The Issue reported that Wu’s At Helmsman Group was found to have submitted a falsified tax clearance certificate while applying for a work permit for an employee. The said tax-good-standing certificate was issued on 24 October 2023 but was declared ‘inauthentic’ by NamRA a month later.
At the time, Wu defended herself and her company, At Helmsman Group, saying they were not involved in the process that led to her company being flagged as having submitted a fake good-standing tax certificate to the ministry of home affairs.
Wu blamed financial consultants employed to help her company comply with the law.
