Catholic Priest Father Monyau Gets 15 Years

He was also sentenced to five years for contravening section 183 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act of 1981. Both sentences will run concurrently.

Imposing sentence, Justice Ts'eliso Monaphathi said the accused had committed a serious offence, intended to destabilise the state. The accused had used military men to make the actual arrest of senior army officers, which had the potential of  serious consequences including blood shed.

He considered that Rev. Monyau deserved a sentence that does not differ much from those given to members of the army that committed similar crime, saying the sentence should be in a way that it serves the interests of the society.

Justice Monaphathi castigated the alleged involvement of some highly prominent people in the country, saying this was a clear indication that there were people still not conversant with the meaning of true patriotism. 

The judge rejected a bail application by the defence pending appeal, saying the reasons for his refusal would follow later.

Rev. Monyau 's sentencing  follows events that occurred during the 1998 political instability.

The crown was represented by Advocates Pingla Hemraj and Kissoon Singh, while the defence counsel was Advocate Ishmael Semenya and he was assisted by Advocate Kananelo Mosito.

30 September 2004