the courthouse, said that it accepted Judge Squires' decision, despite some disappointment. Nkosi also said that "We [the NPA] are satisfied that the judge applied his mind correctly to all the facts. In some cases, we are naturally disappointed, but even then you appreciate the reasons for coming to that decision". Judge Squires extended Shaik's R100,000 (US$15,000) bail. It took more than a year for the Supreme Court of Appeal Court to pass a ruling on the two appeals as well as the application from Shaiks' legal team for leave of appeal on the second corruption charge (which Squires had declined to award). However, on 6 November 2006, President Craig Howie on a bench of 5 judges, rejected this right to appeal. The appeal judges found that Shaik was correctly convicted on three charges of corruption and that the sentence was fair. Furthermore, the court found that Shaik's actions went against the very fibre of the constitution. Shaik reported to jail to start serving his effective 15-year sentence. On 3 March 2009, Shaik was released on medical parole, after serving two years and four months of his 15-year prison term. Constitutional Court Mr Shaik applied for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, against his conviction and sentence, and consequential steps. In October 2007 the Court dismissed most elements of the application, finding that most of the grounds for appeal submitted by Shaik had no prospect of success. However, it granted leave to appeal against the order for confiscation of his assets. Shaik and his companies (Nkobi Holdings and Nkobi Investments) then appealed to the Constitutional Court to question the validity of the confiscation order regarding R33 million of their assets. The original court authorised the confiscation under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), since it held that they constitute proceeds of crime. In April 2008 the Constitutional Court dismissed this appeal, finding that Shaik and his companies had received their shareholdings in Thint, a major ground for the asset forfeiture order, as a result of "the corrupt payments" made to Zuma, and that the remainder of the order related to dividends that accrued due to this shareholding. The court ruled that POCA permitted that all benefits that had arisen from the commission of a crime, whether directly or indirectly, may be confiscated by the trial court after it convicted an accused; and that the trial court