Willem Christiaan Venter (63), has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for interfering with an Eskom electricity meter allocated to his farm in the Free State.

According to Warrant Officer Lynda Steyn Venter was served with court summons on 20 March 2020, by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation after it was alleged that he had interfered with the meter resulting in Eskom losing approximately R750 000 in what would have amounted to his electricity bill.

“He faced four counts of malicious damage to property in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, of which he was found guilty as charged following a plea bargain,” Steyn said in a statement.

The Petrusburg Magistrate’s Court has ordered that Venter pay back Eskom the R750 000.

The five-year imprisonment has been wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of any similar offences.