article: A woman whose designer crocodile-skin handbag was seized by the UK Border Force has triumphed in a test case bid to get it back. The £2,000 designer tote bag, hand-made in Japan, was a 50th birthday gift for Hampstead woman, Sabine Smouha, from her husband Jeremy, the director of an investments company. But, when it arrived in Britain in 2013, customs officers confiscated it because Nile crocodiles are a protected species and it didn't have the right documentation. High end: A £2,000 designer tote bag, hand-made from Nile crocodile skinin Japan by exclusive designer Hikiji . The Border Force has repeatedly refused to return it to her, because it it did not have the required endangered species import permit. Now, however, Mrs Smouha - who said she was 'very sad to lose her birthday present' - has been handed victory by a tribunal judge. Judge Anne Redston said the crocodile was farmed and Mrs Smouha had relied on the reputable Japanese manufacturer to get the formalities right. She had acted entirely honestly and the Border Force's repeated refusal to hand over the bag was irrational and disproportionate. The judge said Mrs Smouha's birthday was approaching and her husband wanted to buy her a special present. She spotted the 'very pretty bag' on the website of elite Japanese handbag maker, Hikiji. The black bag, complete with bronze cowhide lining and matt gold finishings, was the creation of top designer, Mayumi Kondo. Her husband paid $3,400 for it and it arrived in the UK by express mail, in time for Mrs Smouha's happy day. Sabine Smouha was handed a victory at the Royal Courts of Justice, left, after a two-year battle. Judge Anne Redston ordered UK Border Force to reconsider their ruling on a designer handbag made from Nile crocodile, right, that they confiscated on the grounds that it was not imported with the right documentation . The bag was made from the skin of a Nile crocodile, a protected species under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). But it didn't have the required documentation and customs officials seized it at the international mail hub, in Coventry. Representing herself, Mrs Smouha told the First-Tier Tribunal at the Royal Courts of Justice that she had been told by Hikiji that import formalities would be 'taken care of'. Endangered species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Countries all over the world have signed up to the agreement imposing special responsibilities on anyone importing any of the hundreds of plant and animal species listed in the convention . It's designed to stop the illegal killing of these species by destroying the market. It applies to anything from that species, such as skin, fur and teeth . Under British and EU law, you must apply to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a permit before importing anything on the list . When something is imported, it must also have a permit proving it was sourced legally by the country of export . Without these documents, your items can be confiscated by customs officials - but you have the right to appeal . There is also other international legislation applying to the trade of endangered species. Some can impose fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars and carry jail terms . It was the first time that the Japanese company had exported to the UK, but she was unaware of that. The crocodile skin, which had been farmed 'in a controlled environment' in Zambia, was legally imported into Japan before being re-exported. Judge Redston said: 'She was very sad to lose her birthday present and had done everything she could to remedy the position'. She had even offered to 'pay a reasonable fine' so long as the bag was returned to her. Ruling in Mrs Smouha's favour, Judge Redston said the Border Force had failed to consider the individual facts of her case. The skin had not been smuggled into the UK in defiance of CITES and Mrs Smouha had 'reasonably relied' upon Hikiji, whose duty it was to obtain an import permit. The judge added: 'Mrs Smouha did not ignore CITES. She communicated with Hikiji and understood that CITES had been complied with. 'She is not in business and the bag was a birthday present. This was her first experience of CITES. 'The bag cost $3,400 and she did everything she could to rectify the position after she realised the mistake. 'Mrs Smouha acted honestly and in good faith throughout'. Judge Redston gave the Border Force six weeks to reach a fresh decision in the light of her ruling.
highlights: The bag was a 50th birthday gift from her investments manager husband .
  It was made in Japan from African Nile crocodile - an endangered species .
  Customs officials took it because 'endangered' imports need special permits .
  Sabine Smouha from Hampstead has now won two-year battle for its return .
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