High Court judge to appear in court for fraud

Pretoria – A Free State High Court Judge will appear in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Kroonstad to face charges of theft, money laundering, and contempt of court.

According to South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, the Judge was served with a (J175) court summons as a form of securing the attendance of an accused person in court by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team.

“The investigation stems from a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim made when the Judge was still practising as an attorney. The claim was made on behalf a six (6) year-old child who was involved in an accident as early as year 2000,” Mbambo said in a statement.

“He handed over the client’s file with an amount of R 1 255 000 to another attorney, upon taking up an appointment as a Judge,” Mbambo added.

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According to the statement, the victim’s mother reported the case against the second attorney who misappropriated the funds.

Further investigation by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation revealed that an amount of R 3 142 089,70 was paid by RAF. The alleged action by the attorneys prejudiced the victim’s funds surpassing R 2.5 million.

The current High Court sitting Judge will make his first court appearance on March 9, 2023.

The National Head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General (Dr/Adv) Lebeya applauded the team for their scrupulous investigation.

“We will not leave any stone unturned in protecting the rights of vulnerable persons,” Lebeya said.

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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin

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