2008/11/27
A WARRANT of arrest has been issued by the East London Magistrate’s Court for a well-known criminal attorney.
This is after Vuyani Magqabi, 35, of Magqabi Attorneys in Southernwood, failed to appear in court for his case yesterday.
Magqabi is facing fraud and theft charges relating to the alleged theft of trust money between June and October 2006.
The case was postponed to December 15 for his bail money to be finally forfeited to the State. Magqabi was granted R3000 bail on November 14, 2006.
He allegedly defrauded his then-client, Lindelwa Nkente, out of R106 573.
Of this amount, R105 000 related to the sale of a property and R1573 was part payment from a motor vehicle accident claim.
According to documents before the court, Nkente sold her property and the proceeds were paid into Magqabi’s trust account in June last year after he had undertaken to deal with the transfer of the property.
In July 2006, Nkente was informed that the property had been registered and transferred and that her R105 000 was available, the documents claim.
She allegedly asked Magqabi to pay her on numerous occasions, to no avail.
In August 2006, Nkente eventually reported the matter to the police after Magqabi allegedly made various failed payment offers.
He allegedly offered Nkente a cheque of R40 000, then one for R70 000 and another for R50 000, all of which she refused to accept.
In December last year, the Assets Forfeiture Unit attached five vehicles, a house and cash to the value of R106 573 belonging to Magqabi.
In affidavits to the East London High Court, Public Prosecutions deputy director Willie Kingsley successfully requested that Magqabi’s assets be attached pending the outcome of his case
A curator was appointed to take possession and secure all of Magqabi’s realisable property, including his Gonubie house and its contents. - By SIBONGILE MKANI
Court Reporter
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