Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Dr Roy Jankielsohn MPL, Leader of the Official Opposition in the Free State Legislature.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the conviction found by the Free State High Court against Mr Ricardo Mettler, the former bodyguard of Ace Magashule, regarding the theft of the Pierneef painting from the former Free State Premier’s Office.
The painting by South African painter JH Pierneef, which is believed to be valued around R8 million, was previously removed from the Free State Premier’s Office by Mr Mettler during the term of former Premier Ace Magashule, and was taken to Strauss & Co Auctioneers in 2018 to determine its value.
Mr Mettler was also convicted of fraud, for stating to the police that Ace Magashule had mistakenly given him the painting while he helped him clean out his office when his term as Premier came to an end and was further convicted of money laundering, for offering the painting on to a Chinese businessman in Bloemfontein, Wei-Lin Hsu, for what is believed to be a guarantee for a loan.
The DA are encouraged by the hard work and dedication shown by our law enforcement agencies for ensuring justice by bringing Ace Magashule’s former bodyguard to a conviction. The DA are not convinced by Mettler’s evidence regarding the innocence of his political head in this regard.
The Free State has seen many politicians from the province arrested during the course of 2020 on charges related to corruption and state capture, and hope to see many of these accused in orange overalls come 2021.
The DA shall continue to fight to root out corruption from our province in order to make the Free State reach its full economic potential.