The NPA provincial spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, says the conviction of Mettler will serve as the deterrent to many others who steal from the government. Shuping says the NPA believed from the onset that Mettler had a case to answer to.

Judge soma Naidoo found Mettler guilty on four out of five charges he faced -  namely theft, fraud, money laundering and perjury. On Tuesday, Naidoo dismissed Mettler’s bid to be released on an extended warning before his much-anticipated sentence on 03 March 2021.
 
This, after a social worker tabled an urgent preliminary report that looked into Mettler’s family welfare following claims that he was the sole provider. She said the report did not warrant his release. She says it was not in the interest of justice to release Mettler as has been convicted on serious charges with three of the convictions carrying a hefty sentence. She found Mettler guilty of theft, fraud, money laundering and perjury, pertaining to an affidavit he made about obtaining the multi-million rand piece of art.
 
Naidoo says the prescribed sentence for Mettler on count one, which is theft, could see him receiving a maximum of 15 years, on count two, which is fraud, he could be fined an amount of R100 million or a jail sentence not exceeding 30 years, and for perjury, he could be sentenced to three years behind bars.
 
On 27 October 2020, Magashule testified in court that he gave his staff, including Mettler, personal belongings. He said he still does not know if Pierneef is an individual or a painting. Mettler was charged and ordered to appear in court after the much-valued painting was seized by the Hawks. In 2019, the Hawks in the Free State instituted charges - contravening Section 32(13) of the National Heritage Resources Act - against him.
 
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