Lawyer sentenced for attempting to bribe state prosecutor with R50K to derail State case
The Bellville Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced attorney Phuti Given Mothemane for attempting to bribe a state prosecutor with R50 000 to interfere in a criminal case against his client.
Mothemane received a nine-year prison sentence and was wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of corruption during that time.
Additionally, he was handed three years of correctional supervision, which includes house arrest, 16 hours of community service per month, and participation in treatment and rehabilitation programmes as determined by the Community Correction Office.
The court found that Mothemane offered Senior State Advocate Ezmeralda Johnson a R50 000 bribe on September 23 2022 to “make the case go away” in the matter of State vs Norman Kotze and five others.
The case involved allegations of fraud and corruption relating to a service contract with the Beaufort West Municipality.
According to court documents, Mothemane contacted Adv. Johnson via WhatsApp to arrange a meeting, during which he said his client was struggling financially because of restrictions on his movements and was willing to pay to have the case dropped. When confronted, he claimed the offer came from his client, not himself.
Adv. Johnson was shocked at the proposal and immediately rejected it. He later reported the matter. “As a Specialised Commercial Crimes prosecutor working with corruption cases, I felt it was my duty not to be seen to be protecting corrupt legal practitioners,” she said in her statement.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Nicolette Bell, welcomed the sentence and commended Adv. Johnson’s integrity and swift action.
“We applaud her for not looking the other way when it’s an officer of the court,” said Bell. “Her courage demonstrates the National Prosecuting Authority’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that no one — not even legal practitioners — is above accountability.”
Bell added that the NPA will continue to pursue corruption cases vigorously to serve as a deterrent and to reinforce public trust in the justice system.
IOL