Convicted Fraudster and Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown has been let out of the Voorberg Prison in Porterville on parole after serving seven years of his 15-year prison term.
Brown was arrested after a billion rand could not be accounted for at the Fidentia pension fund, which had more than 50 000 members.
The Department of Correctional Services on Thursday said: “offender Joseph Arthur Brown has been placed on parole, effectively from 21 October 2021.”
“This decision was taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board, having assessed Brown’s profile and other material submitted for the purposes of parole consideration,'” said the department.
“Classified as a first time offender with a positive support system, Brown’s parole placement is in line with Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act.
“The act determines the minimum period of sentence that must be served before consideration may be given for possible parole placement.”
The minimum detention period for Brown ended on 2 August 2019, but he could not be placed on parole at the time as there was a need for further profiling.
“Brown takes responsibility for the offences he committed and is remorseful,” said the department.
“Having completed all the identified programmes as per his correctional sentence plan, Brown was assessed and reports by specialists recommended parole placement.”
The Victim Offender Dialogue programme is to continue as there is a need to reach out to all his secondary victims.
The department said Brown will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he is expected to comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires on 2 December 2028.
“Critical to highlight, parole forms part of the total rehabilitation programme in correcting offending behaviour and may include continuation of programmes aimed at reintegration whilst in the system of community corrections,” said the department.
