A 48-year-old man and former attorney, Ramolongwane Patrick Mariri appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 01 October 2021 facing charges of theft.

It is alleged that during 2017 when Mariri was practising as an attorney at RP Mariri Attorneys in Pretoria, swindled and withdrew over R1.2 million from the attorney’s trust fund for personal use.

Further investigation revealed that the money was paid into the trust fund account following the Road Accident Fund (RAF) clients’ payment finalization. The Law Society has since struck Mariri off from practicing as an attorney in 2017.

A warrant of arrest for his apprehension was issued and he handed himself in at the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation office in Pretoria on Thursday. The investigation team formally charged him with theft and took him to court.

Mariri as granted a R10 000 bail and the case was postponed to 22 October 2021 for further investigation.

Source: South African Police Service