Lengthy jail terms for Krion accused

THE master brain behind the Krion scheme, Marietjie Prinsloo, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on 118409 charges, including racketeering and money laundering.

Almost eight years after they were arrested, Prinsloo and members of her family, whose R1,5billion investment scheme left thousands of investors penniless, were sentenced by Judge Cynthia Pretorius in the Pretoria high court.

Pretorius found that though there were mitigating circumstances to justify lesser sentences than the minimum of life imprisonment, the crimes were of such a serious nature that direct imprisonment was the only apt sentence for six of the seven accused.

Prinsloo's former husband, Burt Prinsloo, daughter Yolanda Lemstra and niece Izabel Engelbrecht were each effectively sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Yolanda's husband, Gerrit, was sentenced to an effective 15 years, while Prinsloo's son, Cobus Pelser, was jailed for five years. Izabel's husband, Hendrik, was the only one of the accused to escape a jail sentence after being given a suspended sentence on two charges.

Burt Prinsloo was found guilty on 29904 charges, Yolanda Lemstra on 78110, her husband Gerrit on 42609, Cobus Pelser on 62554 and Izabel Engelbrecht on 62567.

Pretorius ordered that the department of social development must investigate the circumstances of the Prinsloo's five minor children, her daughter and niece to ensure that they were properly cared for and remained in regular contact with their parents. They would be in the care of family members while their parents were in jail.