The import papers that Vietnamese banking tycoon Tram Be has shown to prove the legality of his stolen rhino horn has not yet been verified by Vietnam’s Convention of the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES Vietnam).

Be, who is current deputy chairman of Sacombank, said the 4kg horn was from a white rhino that he was gifted with by his friend Ngo Thanh Nhan five years ago.

The horn is allegedly worth more than VND4 billion (US$191,600), reports said. 

Do Quang Tung, CITES Vietnam's deputy managing director, confirmed with Tuoi Tre on Saturday that they have yet to receive the papers in connection with the import of the rhino from the banker.

He claimed that Be or Nhan has no obligation to submit the papers to CITES and the latter is also unauthorized to demand the papers.

But Tung added CITES would be willing to verify the documents if they receive the request from investigators.

According to Tung, under CITES regulations, legal owners of hunting trophies like rhino horns are banned from selling or giving them to other people, but under Vietnamese laws, they are allowed.

According to the import documents provided by Be, Nhan was granted permits valid from April 27 to May 6, 2006 by authorities in Mpumalanga, South Africa to hunt the white rhino.

Nhan was also granted licenses and other necessary papers by authorities in both South Africa and Vietnam to import the rhino into Vietnam the same year.

Be told Tuoi Tre after he received the rhino from Nhan in March, 2007, he lent the animal to the High Command of Military Region 9 in the southern province of Can Tho for display purposes.

Huynh Tien Phong, a retired official of the command, confirmed with Tuoi Tre that they displayed the stuffed rhino for 4 to 5 years and returned it to Be in late 2011 when the animal’s skin was damaged and needed to be restored.

Last week, the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) issued a document to the Tra Vinh Police Department providing its opinions about the theft, saying it is believed that the horn could have been traded illegally before it was stolen on September 27.

However, Be later denied the accusation, asserting that the horn had been stuck with the whole body of the animal and not an item of illegal trading or hunting. The stuffed rhino without horn is being displayed in Be’s house.