A former attorney who stole R2.3m from two of his clients has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The Durban specialised commercial crimes court sentenced Langelihle Dube, 52 for the thefts that occurred between 2009 and 2011, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Kara said on Friday.
In the first case, R1.4m was paid into Dube’s trust account by the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and was meant for a young boy who had been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident.
The second amount of R900,000 was for an insurance payout on a deceased estate.
“While the monies went into Dube’s account, he never forwarded it to the beneficiaries,” Kara said.
Dube, who ran his own firm, was arrested after an investigation by the Attorneys Fidelity Fund and police.
In aggravation of sentence, senior state advocate Wendy O’Brien said attorneys were placed in a position of trust and had an obligation to their clients.
She said Dube’s breach of this trust brought the legal profession into disrepute.
Kara said in sentencing Dube, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment for each of the counts due to his poor health.
Dube was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for the theft of the R1.4m, and eight years for the theft of the R900,000. The sentences will run concurrently.
TimesLIVE
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