15-year prison sentence for ex-MEC Block

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Pretoria - Former Northern Cape Finance MEC John Block was on Tuesday sentenced to a 15-year prison term by the Kimberley High Court.

Block and co-accused Christo Scholtz, a director at Trifecta Investment Holdings, were found guilty of corruption and money laundering relating to the inflation of rates for building leases to the provincial government.

Block was found to have used his political clout to secure lease tenders for Trifecta at exorbitant prices since 2005. In turn, he received kickbacks for his efforts.

The former MEC for Finance, Tourism and Economic Affairs and his business associate will both serve 15 years imprisonment. Additionally, a forfeiture order of R2 million was made against Block, while a R53 million confiscation was made against Scholtz and Trifecta.

The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, has welcomed the judgment and applauded the Hawks members who worked diligently during the lengthy investigation.

Ntlemeza said this shows they are committed to working around the clock to fight the harm caused by corruption in the country.

“We hope that this will serve as a deterrent to all corrupt civil servants and that it is also indicative of the excellent relationship between the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority.” – SAnews.gov.za