A lawyer will soon find out his fate after he was found guilty of defrauding clients of over R3 million.
The Western Cape attorney, Anthony Reynolds (58), was convicted in the Bellville Serious Commercial Crimes Court last Friday.
Reynolds was practising as an attorney between 2008 and 2010 when he received trust funds from clients which he didn’t use for the intended purpose.
“As a result, a number of his clients filed complaints with the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bellville for further probing,” Zinzi Hani, a spokesperson for the Hawks, says.
“An investigation by the Hawks’ revealed that Reynolds received proceeds from the sales of a number of immovable properties but did not distribute the proceeds to his client.
“He was also instructed by another client to recover owed funds. The debtor paid the funds into the trust account of the accused, however he did not pay the funds over to his client.”
The Legal Practice Council (LPC) then brought an application for the name of Reynolds to be struck off the roll “on the basis that he was no longer a fit and proper person to practise”.
Reynolds has been in court for years where he faced charges of stealing over R3 million as well as engaging in money laundering.
He was found guilty on nine counts and will be sentenced on 25 August.
