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A 43-year-old former attorney, Clea Hattingh, appeared in the White River magistrate’s court on Friday, after being nabbed for allegedly stealing more than R2m from grieving and vulnerable clients.
Hattingh turned herself in to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in Mbombela on Thursday, after a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Hattingh was granted bail of R5,000.
The alleged thefts took place between 2018 and 2021, according to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Magonseni Nkosi.
“Hattingh systematically targeted three separate clients’ trust and estate funds, allegedly stealing a total of more than R2.2m,” Nkosi said.
“The bulk of the stolen money, R1.6m, was taken from a case involving a client’s deceased son, while R452,000 was pocketed from an estate meant for a client’s deceased wife.”
Nkosi said Hattingh allegedly misappropriated R117,000 from a trust account during a divorce case, leaving a trail of financial betrayal across all three matters.
Hattingh has since been disbarred and now works as an administration officer at her father’s funeral home.
“Her bail was granted under strict conditions, including handing over all her travel documents to the police, [she is] banned from contacting any state witnesses, and [must] report to her nearest police station once a week."
Hattingh is scheduled to appear in court again on July 27.
TimesLIVE