A former chairperson of the parole board appeared in the Kroonstad Regional Court on 31 January, and was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice.
The court sentenced David Litsoane (63) to this prison term, of which three years are suspended. He will effectively serve four years of direct imprisonment.
His conviction originates from an incident which took place between February and May 2015. Litsoane, who was the chairperson of the parole board at Groenpunt Correctional Services, submitted a fraudulent statement to the Supreme Court of Appeal in attempts of misleading a judge, prompting the judge to issue a conversion of the sentence of an already-sentenced prisoner. The sentenced prisoner did not qualify to be released on parole or to have his initial sentence converted.
The matter was sequentially reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team, based in Bloemfontein, and Litsoane was issued with a summons on 30 July 2020. The case was then investigated.
“Litsoane appeared in court on several occasions, culminating in his recent conviction,” says Capt. Christopher Singo, spokesperson for the Hawks in the Free State.
