Attorney's theft case postponed

27 June 2022 - 18:40 By TimesLIVE
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The court case of an attorney accused of stealing Road Accident Fund payouts was postponed to August 4.
The court case of an attorney accused of stealing Road Accident Fund payouts was postponed to August 4.
Image: 123RF/INSTINIA

The Rustenburg regional court on Monday postponed the case against attorney Betty Diale until August 4 for a pre-trial conference.

Diale, 52, is out on a warning and has been cautioned not to interfere with the state witnesses.

She faces six charges of theft amounting to about R700,00 allegedly stolen from Road Accident Fund (RAF) claimants.

According to police reports, the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund received several complaints from the RAF claimants whose payments were deposited into Diale's trust account.

The fund’s primary purpose is to reimburse clients of legal practitioners who may suffer loss due to the theft of money or property entrusted to an attorney.

The claimants alleged that the money did not reach them after the payout.

Diale was practising as an attorney during the alleged commission of the crimes between 2009 and 2011 and was subsequently charged with six counts of theft in June 2021.

“Investigations into that matter are complete, and advocate Theo Moetaesi is ready to proceed with pre-trial conferencing and subsequently, speedy completion of the trial,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame said.

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