‘Cop being sentenced should serve as a lesson'
Cornelius
Wessels was arrested, convicted and sentenced after accepting a R100 bribe to
smuggle drugs.
CAPE TOWN
- The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says an eight-year jail sentence
handed down to a former police officer sends a strong warning to corrupt law
enforcement officials.
Cornelius
Wessels was arrested, convicted and sentenced after accepting a R100 bribe to
smuggle drugs into holding cells at Cape Town central police station.
During
sentencing Advocate Esmeralda Johnson said corruption is difficult to detect
and a jail sentence is necessary to deter other “would be” corrupt public
officials.
In
November 2012, an undercover agent was arrested for possession of dagga in
order to setup the sting.
The next
part of the operation involved another policeman asking Wessels to handover a
container and a R100 to the arrested agent.
Wessels
delivered the container to the undercover policeman in custody, who then
exposed four bags of dagga.
Wessels
did not seize the dagga and was later paid the money by the policeman who gave
him the container.
He was
later arrested and the R100 note, with a special serial number, was found in
his pants.
(Edited
by Leeto M Khoza)
