WESTERN CAPE – A Cape Town attorney, Gideon Joubert Louw (48) has been handed a five-year sentence by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Bellville for theft of trust funds.

Louw who was practicing under the name, Gideon Joubert Louw Attorneys misappropriated funds in his trust account to the amount of over R511 286-00 between 2014 and 2015 in Somerset West. The funds were meant to purchase and register properties on behalf of his clients.

The funds were used for personal gain instead of purchasing the properties. The matter was then reported to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for probing which culminated in Louw’s arrest on 11 October 2021.

Louw pleaded guilty which resulted in his conviction and sentence on 25 October 2022. He was sentenced to five years, wholly suspended for five years. Furthermore, the court ordered him to reimburse the victims an amount of R220 383.20.

Source: South African Police Service