Rogue car dealer appeals sentence
Parties appear in High Court
Harding wants his conviction for money laundering set aside, and his 10-year sentence slashed to just two-and-a-half years.
Walvis Bay resident Cevin Harding approached the High Court in an attempt to appeal a 10-year prison term. He said it should, instead, be replaced with a sentence of two-and-a-half years.
Harding was found guilty of five charges of theft and one charge of money laundering after pleading guilty in the Swakopmund Regional Court. He committed the crimes as part of a business that saw him buying and selling cars. He was sentenced in June last year.
In his appeal application, Harding demanded that the money laundering conviction be reviewed and set aside and that his sentence be cut down to five years, of which two-and-a-half years should be suspended.
Harding pointed out that he pleaded guilty, paid back part of the money and showed remorse for his actions as reasons why his appeal should be granted. He further claimed that he is a first-time offender and an “excellent candidate for rehabilitation”.
Wrongful conviction
According to Harding, his 10-year sentence is too punitive and inappropriate. He believes it is disproportionate to the circumstances and crimes he was found guilty of.
He argued that a much more appropriate sentence would be a fine with a suspended sentence, or a sentence suspended for five years.
He further claimed that he was wrongly convicted of money laundering. “This is because the sale of the vehicles was completely legal and a proper business activity. What may have been illegal was the withholding of money, but that is related to the theft conviction,” he said.
“The magistrate could never be convinced that the origin of the money was hidden from anyone, as payment for the sale of vehicles was made into a legitimate business account. The origin of the money was never hidden," court documents read.
The parties appeared before Judge Hosea Angula in the Windhoek High Court on Monday.
Harding was found guilty of five charges of theft and one charge of money laundering after pleading guilty in the Swakopmund Regional Court. He committed the crimes as part of a business that saw him buying and selling cars. He was sentenced in June last year.
In his appeal application, Harding demanded that the money laundering conviction be reviewed and set aside and that his sentence be cut down to five years, of which two-and-a-half years should be suspended.
Harding pointed out that he pleaded guilty, paid back part of the money and showed remorse for his actions as reasons why his appeal should be granted. He further claimed that he is a first-time offender and an “excellent candidate for rehabilitation”.
Wrongful conviction
According to Harding, his 10-year sentence is too punitive and inappropriate. He believes it is disproportionate to the circumstances and crimes he was found guilty of.
He argued that a much more appropriate sentence would be a fine with a suspended sentence, or a sentence suspended for five years.
He further claimed that he was wrongly convicted of money laundering. “This is because the sale of the vehicles was completely legal and a proper business activity. What may have been illegal was the withholding of money, but that is related to the theft conviction,” he said.
“The magistrate could never be convinced that the origin of the money was hidden from anyone, as payment for the sale of vehicles was made into a legitimate business account. The origin of the money was never hidden," court documents read.
The parties appeared before Judge Hosea Angula in the Windhoek High Court on Monday.
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