After years of battling drug addiction and a series of bizarre court delays, corrupt traffic official Rory Petrus has been sentenced to house arrest and rehabilitation programmes instead of prison.
After years of battling drug addiction and a series of bizarre court delays, corrupt traffic official Rory Petrus has been sentenced to house arrest and rehabilitation programmes instead of prison.
As he left the dock, Rory Petrus let out a quiet sob as he embraced his mother and other family members waiting for him in the public gallery.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
After months of bizarre delays following his conviction on fraud, forgery and corruption charges, Petrus was finally sentenced in the Gqeberha High Court. But the 38-year-old will not see the inside of a prison cell.
Instead, the suspended traffic official was placed under house arrest for the next five years.
After Judge Mzamo Nobatana handed down the sentence, Petrus, seemingly stunned by the result, shook hands with his attorney, Xolile Bodlo, before leaving the dock.
Asked if he had any comment, Petrus just shook his head before stepping into the public gallery and hugging his crying family members.
A series of bizarre delays
Following his conviction in January, Petrus’s matter was delayed due to the arrest of his convicting judge, Siphokazi Cubungu, who, ironically, was also arrested on fraud and corruption charges.
Subsequently, Judge Gaynor Appels began sentencing proceedings, but recused herself…
