The wife of former State Security Minister, Sheryl Cwele and her co-accused where sentenced to 20 years for drug dealing(SABC)
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The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal's extension of the jail term of Sheryl Cwele, former wife of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele and her co-accused to 20 years.
The Supreme Court of Appeal yesterday increased the prison sentences of Cwele and Nigerian national Frank Nabolisa. The two were found guilty in May 2011 of drug dealing by the Pietermaritzburg High Court and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment each.
Cwele appealed to the SCA against her conviction only, while Nabolisa appealed against both his conviction and sentence. Nabolisa had been in custody, while Cwele was out on R100 000 bail.
Both pleaded not guilty to conspiring to deal in drugs, to procuring a woman, Charmaine Moss, to collect drugs in Turkey, and to procuring another woman, Tessa Beetge, to smuggle cocaine from South America.
The SCA judgment dismissed their appeals against their convictions. The court set aside the sentences imposed by the trial court and replaced them with a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment for each of them.
