The owner of a Fredericton restaurant, where decomposed bear meat was found last December, has changed her plea to guilty in charges connected with the case.
Mandarin Palace was forced to close Dec. 20 when health inspectors found rotting bear meat in the restaurant’s kitchen. It re-opened Dec. 22 after passing another inspection.
The owner, Le Binh Tina Tu, had initially pled not guilty to a charge of unlawfully possessing the bear carcass, along with another charge of having wildlife in the restaurant.
Tu’s trial was supposed to start this week, but Tu changed her plea to guilty Aug. 2 on the charge of possessing wildlife.
The crown dropped the illegal possession of wildlife charge, with Tu pleading guilty to a new charge of possessing the bear carcass without any proper transfer permits.
Altogether, Tu was fined $400 with an additional $65 in surcharges.
New Brunswick health officials said the discovery of decomposing bear meat in the restaurant’s kitchen was a major concern because it could have contaminated other food in the cooler.
With files from CTV's Nick Moore
