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Kohler Barnard pleads guilty, enters into sentence agreement

Embattled MP Dianne Kohler Barnard pleaded guilty and entered into a plea and sentence agreement this morning.

“The panel has come to a finding, which takes the form of a recommendation that goes to Fedex [the DA federal executive] for consideration,” the party’s federal legal commission chairperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, said.

She declined to reveal the sanction that was recommended.

Kohler Barnard pleaded guilty to misconduct, bringing the party into disrepute and contravening the party’s social-media policy, said Breytenbach.

“It was a plea and sentence agreement … she pleaded guilty,” said Breytenbach, adding that she could not determine when the federal executive would consider the recommendation.

Kohler Barnard brought in heavyweight defence attorney Barry Roux to represent her at the three-hour-long hearing.

The hearing took place before a panel of three attorneys, who considered the charges drawn up by DA MP Alan McLoughlin, as the committee’s assistant.

In terms of the party’s constitution, possible sanctions against Kohler Barnard include being “admonished”, temporarily suspended or axed as an MP.

Kohler Barnard came under heavy fire for sharing a Facebook post that hankered after the days under apartheid leader PW Botha.

She apologised unreservedly and said she shared it before reading it fully. The post was 84 words long.

Last week, she was demoted from shadow police minister to deputy shadow minister of public works.

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