Gavin Du Plessis (48), a former lawyer and executioner of the deceased estate, appeared at the Port Elizabeth Regional Court on Monday on a charge of theft of R261 000.
Du Plessis was entitled only to R 60 000 in fees for the service he provided in June 2008. He transferred a total of R320 000 from his deceased client’s estate account into his personal bank account, instead of his law firm’s trust account for further distribution to the beneficiaries.
The matter was reported to the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Port Elizabeth when the beneficiaries did not receive the money. Furthermore, he was struck off the roll of attorneys in 2009.
Du Plessis pleaded guilty and the matter was postponed to 29 July 2020 for sentencing.