Brown sentencing continues

Sentencing arguments for convicted fraudster former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown will continue in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.

 

The State was expected to call witnesses in aggravation of sentence, after Brown's defence closed its case in mitigation of sentence at his last court appearance on Thursday. On April 18 he was found guilty on two counts of fraud relating to how he handled investments for the Transport Education and Training Authority and the Mantadia Asset Trust Company (Matco) between 2002 and 2006. 

 

On Thursday Brown told the court he accepted he had done wrong. "I accept in retrospect that these actions were wrong. However it is an unfair question to ask if I had remorse at the time. Quite clearly I did not," he said to a question from prosecutor Jannie van Vuuren. Brown said he felt remorseful from when Fidentia was put under curatorship and he saw the consequences on people's lives. 

 

Van Vuuren asked how this remorse manifested itself since 2007. Brown said he did a "myriad of things", including helping investors and handing over financial records to the Living Hands trustees. The biggest chunk of money that went missing from Fidentia was over R1 billion from the Living Hands Umbrella Trust, formerly Matco. The trust paid money from the mineworkers’ provident fund to the widows and orphans of workers killed in mine accidents.

 

-Sapa