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The Kimberley specialised commercial crimes court has sentenced a former Kimberley attorney and conveyancer to six years’ direct imprisonment for theft and money laundering after she misappropriated more than R4.6m in client trust funds.
Leanne Katherine Sullaphen Macleod, 56, was convicted of 14 counts of theft and 14 counts of money laundering.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the court imposed 10 years’ imprisonment for theft, with four years suspended for five years on condition she is not convicted of theft during that period.
“She received six years for money laundering. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective six years’ direct imprisonment,” said Senokoatsane.
Evidence showed that between 2017 and November 2021, Macleod unlawfully misappropriated trust funds from clients and other trust creditors linked to property transactions.
As a conveyancer, she was legally required to safeguard the funds in designated trust accounts until completion of the transactions.
Instead, the court found she transferred substantial amounts from LK Sullaphen and Associates trust account into business and personal accounts under her control, resulting in a trust deficit of R4.6m. Several clients suffered financial prejudice after their mandates were not fulfilled and funds were neither used for the intended transactions nor refunded.
On the money laundering charges, the court found she knowingly arranged and facilitated the transfer of proceeds from the theft into accounts she controlled, concealing the nature, source and movement of the funds.
Macleod was arrested by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in November 2025. She first appeared in the Kimberley magistrate’s court and was granted R5,000 bail.
The case was prosecuted by advocate Wilhelmus Johannes Els of the NPA’s specialised commercial crimes unit after an investigation by the Hawks with continuous prosecutorial guidance from the NPA.
The NPA said it viewed the abuse of trust accounts and misappropriation of client funds in an extremely serious light.
“Legal practitioners occupy positions of trust and are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and accountability. When that trust is violated for personal enrichment, it undermines public confidence in the legal profession and causes significant financial and emotional harm to victims,” Senokoatsane said.
TimesLIVE
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