[ad_1]
- A man who was on the run for nine years for possession of counterfeit money will spend seven years in prison.
- He had initially escaped from custody while in court in cells.
- He was arrested again in June before being returned to face charges again.
A man who was on the run for nine years for possession of counterfeit money has been sentenced to seven years in prison, the National Tax Authority (NPA) said on Friday.
Mark Ezra was sentenced to seven years in prison at the Durban Commercial Crimes Court, said NPA spokeswoman Natasha Kara.
Ezra pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit money and escaping from custody.
READ ALSO | Former Deputy Director of Kutama Sinthumule Prison Convicted of Multiple Fraud and Corruption Charges
He was initially arrested in January 2011 after he was found in possession of R231 600 in counterfeit R100 banknotes.
“He was arrested and brought to court. Then, a few months later, while he was being held in the holding cells of the Specialized Commercial Crimes Court (prior to his appearance in court), he escaped. Ezra evaded authorities for nine years and He was only arrested again in June 2020, “Kara said.
The court sentenced him to three years in prison for possession of counterfeit money and six years in prison for escaping from custody.
“Two years from the possession charge will run concurrently with the flight charge, resulting in seven years in effective prison,” Kara said.
He said the matter was successfully prosecuted by Regional Court Prosecutor Hazel Siraramen.
