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Taj Mahal, India

A citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo was convicted in an Indian court of smuggling conflict diamonds into the country and has been sentenced to a one year jail term, the Times of India reported.

 

Jean Tshimaga was arrested last September by agents from India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence with 10,000 carats of diamonds in his possession. The diamonds bore no certification from the Kimberley Process Certificate Scheme. Tshimaga brought the diamonds, said to have been worth approximately $766,000, directly from the DRC and had planned to deliver them to a local diamond trader, Pravin Ajudia from Rajkot.

 

Tshimaga was convicted under India's Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act by the COFEPOSA Central Advisory Board in New Delhi, according to the Times of India.