A lawyer who stole hundreds of thousands of rand from the proceeds of a client's home sale has been ordered to repay more than R400,000.
A lawyer who stole hundreds of thousands of rand from the proceeds of a client's home sale has been ordered to repay more than R400,000 after an 18-year legal battle, with the Hawks describing the ruling as a significant victory in recovering the proceeds of commercial crime.
The Mthatha High Court granted a confiscation order under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) on 24 July, compelling convicted attorney Vuyani Gwebindlala to compensate the victim R401,730.
The order follows Gwebindlala's conviction for stealing trust money from a property transaction dating back to 2008.
Unlike a criminal sentence, a confiscation order under POCA is intended to strip offenders of the proceeds of their crimes while giving victims an opportunity to recover their financial losses.
