âââ LUCKY NKUYANE 09:00 Wed, 28 Apr 2021
PHOTO: Lucky Nkuyane
The Free State High Court is Wednesday set to deliberate over an application brought forward by former (FS) Premier Ace Magashuleâs driver, Ricardo Mettler.
Mettler is applying for leave to appeal his 15-year conviction and jail sentence for the theft of the R8 million Pierneef painting. His legal representative, Advocate Hannes Peyper, has confirmed this.
Last month, Mettler filed papers to appeal his sentence and conviction after Judge Soma Naidoo found him guilty in 2020 on counts of theft, fraud, money laundering, and perjury and accordingly sentenced him in March 2021. Judge Naidoo handed Mettler an effective 15-year prison sentence for theft, 15 years for money laundering, 15 years for fraud, and 12 months for perjury. Counts two and four are running concurrently.