Wannacry virus delays P1.9m heist case
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Thursday May 18, 2017 15:22
Known as the Wannacry virus, the ransomware invaded computers in more than 150 countries, with the hackers demanding payment before they released access back to users.
Government shut down its entire online network on Monday as a preventative measure.
Mogale, a 34-year-old who has been on the run for the past five years, had appeared before Village Magistrate Mompati Taolo last week and pleaded guilty to stealing P1.9 million from his employer Brinks Global Services where he was a senior crewman on May 11 2012. Mogale, who has admitted to his crime, has since told the Court that he was tempted by the devil.
Yesterday, however, State prosecutor Ernest Mosate told the Court that while the date for mitigation and sentence had been set, the State was unable to proceed because they could not retrieve the accused’s record of previous convictions due to the Government system shut down.
“A plea of guilty has been entered your worship.
We were to deal with mitigation and sentencing but the matter was postponed to enable the prosecution to determine if the accused is a friend of the police or first offender. Unfortunately, the State is not ready to present to Court if he is a first offender or not.
Even though the convict is a former colleague, they can’t put their head on the block on this one. “There was a national alert on the Government network following a virus attack and normal service has been restricted,” Mosate said.
After discussions with the investigating officer, Mosate told the Court that they would approach the Bureau to check if the records cannot be retrieved manually.
“I appreciate the prejudice in this but the accused is already a convict and there is nothing I can do now because this is a national problem,” the prosecutor said.
However, Mogale pleaded for the process to be expedited so that the matter could be dealt with.
When making a ruling, Magistrate Taolo said that it was regrettable that the matter was out of the hands of prosecution, hence it is fair to grant them postponement.
He said that the matter should return to Court on May 24, 2017 for status hearing and possible mitigation and sentencing.
Meanwhile, Mosate has told the court that the complainants have indicated that they would apply for compensation.