The defence for former Free State Premier Ace Magashule's driver, Ricardo Mettler, is pleading for a lenient sentence.
He's been convicted on four charges related to stealing an R8 million Pierneef painting.
During court proceedings yesterday, Advocate Jacques Potgieter said in sentencing Mettler, Judge Soma Naidoo needs to consider that the painting was retrieved and that Mettler did not benefit financially from the crime.
State prosecutor, Antoinette Ferreira, however, indicated that there were no compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed sentence of 15 years in prison.
Ferreira added that Mettler's actions were influenced by pure greed and that he was only after money.
Sentencing has been postponed to next Wednesday the tenth of March.
Mettler stole the painting with the intention of selling it to Bloemfontein businessman, Wei-Lin Hsu, for over R2 million.
