A 50-year-old attorney, Emanuel Mesele Tau has appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court for alleged fraud, following his arrest by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks’) serious commercial crime investigation unit.
Hawks spokesperson in North West, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso said Tau was arrested on Monday, and he appeared in court on the same day.
“The arrest emanates from an investigation into a Road Accident Fund (RAF) pay-out of approximately R763,195, which the attorney allegedly received on behalf of a client, but kept it for himself.
“It is reported that the client who had lost her husband in a vehicle accident requested the assistance of the accused to lodge a claim with RAF. In 2014, the pay-out was allegedly received by the accused (Tau), who failed to divulge this information to client,” Rikhotso said.
In 2021, the Hawks said after many failed attempts to get hold of the attorney, the widow reported the incident to the police.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Hawks for further probing, resulting in the arrest of the attorney on Tuesday.
“He was released on R5,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to August 8, for the regional court date,” said Rikhotso.
Meanwhile, the provincial head of the Hawks in North West, Major General Patrick Mbotho has welcomed Tau’s arrest and “commended the exceptional efforts by the investigator and the prosecutor who working on the case”.
IOL