Pretoria - Meshack Mfana, who worked at Ndobela Attorneys, has been ordered to pay back the amount of R41 000 within 90 days and has also been sentenced to three years in prison.
This comes after the the Sasolburg Regional Court found Mfana guilty of theft.
The charges emanate from an incident which took place in January 2016 when Mfana instituted a civil claim against the State for unlawful arrest of his client.
“The State then paid the amount of R60 000 to the trust account of Ndobela Attorneys and the client never received the money.
“The matter was then reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team based in Bloemfontein. Mfana was issued with summons in June 2019,” Captain Christopher Singo said.
Singo said Mfana was ordered to pay back the amount of R41 000 within 90 days.
“He was also sentenced to three years’ direct imprisonment wholly suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence during the period of suspension.”
In a similar matter, a 55-year-old bookkeeper at a law firm has been convicted of Road Accident Fund fraud.
The Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court convicted and sentenced Bernice Viljoen to fraud amounting to R500 000.
Viljoen is the ex-wife to attorney Dewald Viljoen of Dewald Viljoen Attorneys.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, the fraud took place between July 2009 and October 2011.
IOL