Block, Scholtz given 15 years
FOUR years after being charged, former Northern Cape ANC provincial chairman John Block and the chief of Trifecta Investments, Christo Scholtz, were yesterday each sentenced to 15 years in jail in the Northern Cape High Court.
Block had no words, other than to indicate that the process “was not over yet” as he left the courtroom.
The men were found guilty of corruption and money laundering in October last year, when government leases exceeding R100 million were facilitated with the Trifecta group of companies in Kimberley, Upington, Kuruman, Springbok and Douglas, in exchange for kickbacks.
The six Trifecta companies were issued with a R1.2m fine, while Block’s defunct company, Chisane Investments (Pty) Ltd, was spared prosecution as it has since been declared commercially insolvent.
Block, who still maintains he is innocent, has 30 days in which to surrender R2 million worth of his assets to the state and make a deposit into National Treasury’s account.
Scholtz will have R60m worth of his assets confiscated while the State Asset Forfeiture Unit previously calculated an amount of R600m.
The accused will also be liable to pay additional curators’ fees, plus interest on any outstanding amount not paid by the due date.
Scholtz is a first-time offender while Block has a previous theft conviction.
Northern Cape High Court Judge Mmathebe Phatsoane highlighted the seriousness of the offences, and sent out a clear message that corruption would not be tolerated.
“Corruption is eating away at the fabric of society and is a scourge on our modern democracy.”
She pointed out that subjecting the accused to correctional supervision would amount to a “mockery of justice”.
“Scholtz downplayed his role in facilitating the leases that served as a direct capital injection for the Trifecta group of companies which benefited from corrupt activities.”
She described the transactions as being “grossly unfair to the public”.
An unethical and corrupt relationship existed where high-ranking government officials, including the HoD for Social Development, Yolanda Botha, and a powerful politician (Block) received gratifications in large amounts.”
Botha died before the conclusion of the trail.
“Nothing presented by either Scholtz or Block showed that any compelling or substantial circumstances exist to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences.”
According to Phatsoane, “the only penalty that can be imposed on the multiple offences by the corporate accused, is a fine”. She said “the accused did not contest rentals that were made to the state”.
The payments included rent for the Van Riebeeck building in Springbok, to the value of R16m, R2m for the Keur ‘n Geur building in Douglas, R50m for the Du Toitspan building in Kimberley and R90m for the Kimberlite hotel building in Kimberley.
Another R34m was paid to Trifecta for the lease of the Northern Cape Training Centre and R37 million by the South African Social Security Agency for the Old Oranje Hotel in Upington.
Both defence teams had prepared preliminary representations for applications for leave to appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The legal representative for Block, senior advocate Salie Joubert, indicated that his client had a reasonable prospect of success on appeal.
Phatsoane reluctantly agreed to extend the bail of the accused until today to allow for their applications for leave to appeal to be presented. LONDON: British Justice Secretary Liz Truss left MPs baffled after claiming barking dogs could be used to stop drones flying drugs into prisons.
The gaffe-prone cabinet minister raised eyebrows with her solution to the growing problem of the small radio-controlled aircraft delivering banned items to prisoners.
A Labour MP, during justice questions in the Commons, said: “It’s the minister who’s barking.”
Figures released this year showed a spike in incidents of prisoners receiving drugs, cellphones and other banned products via drones. – The Independent