Magashule’s ex-bodyguard jailed for stealing R8m painting
RICARDO Mettler, former bodyguard of the former Premier of the Free State, Ace Magushule, was sentenced to an effective 15 years imprisonment in the Free State High Court for stealing a Pierneef painting R8-million. Judge Soma Naidoo sentenced Mettler to 15 years for stealing the painting, a 2nd 15 years for money laundering and a third 15 years for fraud. The court found that Mettler pretended that the painting was donated to him by Magashule, and that it legally belonged to him. In addition, Judge Naidoo sentenced Mettler to 12 months for making a false statement to the police, in…