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Hawks and Interpol arrest Namibian fugitive in Paarl
The disbarred attorney is accused of defrauding his clients of over R3 million.
Picture File: Hawks vehicle at its offices in Pretoria on 17 February 2020. Picture: Jacques Nelles
A 55-year-old disbarred attorney has been arrested in Paarl, in the Western Cape, on charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Interpol red notice
The arrest was made on Friday morning, during a joint operation between the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation and Interpol, which issued a red notice for his arrest.
During the arrest, a cellphone and laptop were confiscated for further investigation.
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The suspect, who was struck off the roll of attorneys in 2022, is alleged to have committed these offences in 2020. He is accused of defrauding his clients of over R3 million.
Fugitive from justice
The man is also a fugitive from justice being sought by the Namibian authorities to stand trial for similar offences.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the suspect would appear in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
“It was established that the suspect is a fugitive from justice being sought by the Namibian authorities to stand trial for racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering after an arrest warrant and extradition notice were authorised by the Paarl Magistrate in 2022.
“It is further alleged that the suspect caused an amount totalling in excess of R3 million to be deposited into his trust account and the complainant also deposited R280 000 into the same bank account for legal services,” said Mogale in a statement.
