Three lawmen from Limpopo spent their first night in jail after a marathon eight-year-long court battle to get them convicted ended.
Former senior regional magistrate Tshirufho Ronnie Rambau (58), regional court prosecutor Estene Anver Willemse (42) and attorney Tivoneleni Edmond Lubisi (38) were sentenced by Magistrate Patterson in the Regional Court in Musina on Thursday, 25 October. They were already found guilty on charges of corruption in the same court on Thursday, 28 June, this year.
Rambau was accused of accepting a bribe to influence a court case. Lubisi and Willemse faced charges of corruption and conspiracy to commit corruption. They were arrested following a successful police undercover operation in February 2010.
Patterson on Thursday sentenced Rambau to 15 years imprisonment on two counts of corruption. Lubisi was also sentenced to 15 years, but on four counts of corruption. Willemse received a 10-year sentence on two counts of corruption. All sentenced will be served concurrently. The court also denied the three men leave to appeal against their sentences.
(A full report of this marathon court case will appear in next week's newspaper).