Hefty sentence for corrupt prosecutor

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Ntombesuhlani Sonqisha (45), a senior public prosecutor, was sentenced to seven years, while Prenika Munu (39), a Legal Aid attorney, was fined R50,000 or five years imprisonment by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

According to the Hawks, the complainant in this case was a suspect in a fraud case, which happened in March 2015, where he and four others were arrested for alleged fraud.

They allegedly defrauded banks and car dealers by submitting fraudulent IDs, payslips, and addresses when purchasing vehicles and later stopped paying instalments.

When the banks threatened to repossess those vehicles, they would subsequently disappear.

The complainant was represented by Munu and introduced him to Sonqisha, who demanded R7,000 to withdraw the case and turn him into a State witness.

The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Unit conducted an entrapment operation in December 2015 and arrested both Munu and Sonqisha in possession of the entrapment money.

Munu pleaded guilty to corruption charges and was fined R50,000 or five years imprisonment, which was suspended on condition that she will not be convicted of any offence, as provided for in the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act during the suspension period.

Meanwhile, Sonqisha was found guilty on corruption charges and was sentenced to seven years direct imprisonment.

The Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks, Brigadier Sekemela Lewele, said the sentence will serve as a serious deterrent to other government officials that no one is above the law.

“No one is above the law in South Africa and we as the Hawks will continue with our mandate to serve everyone in the country without fear or favour,” Lewele said.