A secretary at a law firm in Stellenbosch who allegedly siphoned R12m from trust funds has appeared in court with her husband and daughter on fraud and theft charges.
“It is alleged that Alwena Smith, who worked as a secretary in a well-established attorney’s practice in Stellenbosch, unlawfully transferred trust funds to various accounts between January 2016 and April 2018,” the Hawks said in a statement.
“She allegedly amassed over R12m in her alleged illegal dealings from the law firm she worked for, of which half of the funds were recovered and paid back into the trust fund.”
Smith, 48, Sean Desmond Smith, 51, and Elviolynn Dreyer, 31, appeared in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court on Monday. Investigators allegedly linked the bank accounts to her family.
The case against the trio was postponed to April 17 for further investigation.
They were each released on bail of R3,000, with stringent conditions.
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