Former lawyer arrested for over R2m theft from clients

A 43-year-old former legal practitioner has been arrested in connection with theft and contravention of the Legal Practice Act.

The woman’s offences allegedly occurred between 2018 and 2021.

On Thursday, the woman handed herself over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, accompanied by her legal representative.

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Magonseni Nkosi said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused allegedly unlawfully benefited more than R2m from three clients.

Her arrest comes after the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund released an updated list of convicted legal practitioners as well as the sentences imposed on them.

The list revealed that at least 62 lawyers were sentenced since 2018 for misconduct involving the misappropriation of clients’ funds and other ethical violations.

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Nkosi said information received revealed that the woman had allegedly benefited from amounts of R1,634,190 and R452,513 from two separate complainants in unrelated matters involving a deceased son and a deceased wife, respectively.

“She further allegedly misappropriated funds from a trust account in a divorce matter, resulting in an actual loss of R116,927 suffered by another complainant.”

The woman will appear in the White River magistrate’s court on Friday.

According to the Fund’s list, Jo-Anne Mantladi Mmela was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in November last year. Mmela, 44, who was an attorney from Mpumalanga, stole R3,3m Road Accident Fund money, which include a R1,4m payout for a child who had been injured in a crash.

It said this development highlighted the ongoing efforts by regulatory bodies to clean up the profession and protect the public from legal practitioners who abuse their positions and violate the trust of those they are meant to serve.

“South Africa has, in recent years, been rocked by a disturbing wave of stories involving lawyers who have betrayed the trust of their clients, particularly the most vulnerable members of society,” said the fund.

“These legal professionals, entrusted with protecting the rights of the public, have instead been caught misappropriating funds from their clients and exploiting pensioners, minors, and individuals with disabilities.

“With the help of members of the public who have fallen victim, the LPFF works tirelessly to identify the dishonest lawyers and ensure that they face the full force of the law. This means not only ensuring that they have their day in court but also taking steps to compensate members of the public for their stolen monies.”

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The Fund said by holding corrupt lawyers accountable it helped restore public confidence in the legal profession, while also creating a strong deterrent against future misconduct.

Secretary of the Amalgamated Lawyers Association, Takalani Margaret Ramanyimi, said it was regrettable and unfortunate that members of the legal profession, who are expected to act within the ethical bounds of the profession, were in fact engaged in ethical violations.

Sowetan