Latest news with #SeriousOrganisedCrimeInvestigation
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Man sentenced to four years for impersonating attorney and defrauding client
Doctor Sobetha has been sentenced for impersonating an attorney. The Bethal Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga has sentenced a 32-year-old man to four years in prison for impersonating a lawyer and defrauding a client of R40,000. The sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, includes an option for Doctor Sobetha to pay a fine of R20,000. Provincial spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, detailed how Sobetha had perpetrated this scam back in 2019, when he attempted to file a bail application on behalf of a client facing murder charges. During the court proceedings at that time, Nkosi noted that the state prosecutor quickly became suspicious of Sobetha's arguments. He was requested to prove before the court that indeed he was a legal practitioner but failed to produce such proof. "The Secunda based Serious Organised Crime Investigation members that were in court attended and an arrest was affected. The matter was referred to the Hawks Secunda based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for further investigation," said Nkosi. Sobetha was granted bail in 2024, and then went on the run.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Fake lawyer sentenced in Bethal court, immediately rearrested for fraud
The Bethal Magistrate's Court sentenced a man to four years' imprisonment or a fine of R20 000 for impersonating a lawyer in court. Ironically, while Doctor Sobetha (32) was still in court after being sentenced yesterday, June 5, he was arrested again for fraud that he allegedly committed in Moroka, Gauteng, in 2023. Following his sentence, the court ordered Sobetha to pay back the money amounting to R40 000 that he had charged his client in 2019, payable in instalments of R3 000 per month. The client was facing a murder charge and Sobetha represented him during his bail application. The state prosecutor could pick up from Sobetha's arguments that something was not adding up. He was requested to provide proof in court that he was indeed a legal practitioner but failed to do so,' said the Mpumalanga Hawks' spokesperson, Colonel Magonseni Nkosi. Nkosi said the Secunda-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation members that were in court immediately arrested him after which the matter was referred to the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for further inquiry. He said Sobetha was granted bail in 2024 and absconded, resulting in a warrant of arrest being authorised against him. 'An investigation led members of the Hawks' Tactical Operations Management System to Durban, where the suspect was arrested on May 22 this year,' said Nkosi. ALSO READ: Skukuza Regional Court sentences poacher to 14 years in jail He was brought back to Mpumalanga, where he appeared before the Bethal Magistrate's Court on Friday, May 30. The matter was postponed and Sobethu was remanded in custody until he appeared in the same court again yesterday. He pleaded guilty and the court sentenced immediately. Two of his four-year sentence was suspended for five years on the condition that he is not found guilty of a similar offence during that period. The Mpumalanga head of the Hawks, Major General Nico Gerber, warned people to consult with registered legal advisers. 'It is concerning if people are defrauded by people like Sobetha whose formal education does not even go beyond high school level,' concluded Gerber. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
Two men in court after being caught with unwrought gold valued at R16m
Daniel Schubert and Adriaan Petrus du Plessis appeared in the Kempton Park magistrate's court on Thursday for possession of suspected stolen property and possession of unwrought gold worth R16m. Schubert, 61, and Du Plessis, 49, appeared in court following their arrest after the Germiston-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit of the Hawks received information about people in a grey BMW travelling from the Free State with the aim of selling the gold in Gauteng. 'The multidisciplinary team spotted the vehicle on the R21 and it was successfully pulled over. Upon searching the vehicle and the occupants, the team discovered a bag containing 80 gold bars weighing 100g each and with an estimated value of R16m,' Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale said. The two men could not furnish the officers with documentation for transporting such materials and they were arrested for unlawful possession of unwrought gold and possession of suspected stolen property. Their matter was remanded to May 22 for a formal bail application. The pair remains in custody. 'The Hawks remain steadfast in their mission to dismantle illegal mining and smuggling networks. Criminals must understand that no-one is beyond the reach of the law,' said Hawks Gauteng head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa.
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- The Citizen
R16m Gauteng gold bust: Pair arrested after tip-off
Authorities discovered gold bars in the suspects' possession, for which no documentation could be provided. Two suspects recently arrested in connection with stolen property — including unwrought gold valued at R16 million — will remain in custody following their court appearance on Thursday. They appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on the East Rand, where the case was postponed to 22 May for a formal bail application. Suspects apprehended on R21 Daniel Schubert, 61, and Adriaan Petrus du Plessis, 49, were arrested after Germiston-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation received information about a grey BMW vehicle travelling from the Free State with the aim of selling gold in Gauteng. Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said a multidisciplinary team comprising the Hawks and the South African Police Service Flying Squad in Gauteng pulled the car over on the R21 highway. Gold bars worth R16 million 'Upon searching both the vehicle and the occupants, the team discovered a bag containing 80x100g gold bars with an estimated value of R16 million,' Mogale said. ALSO READ: Nearly 2 000 arrested during nationwide Vala Umgodi operations in April 'The pair could not furnish the officers with documentation to be transporting such materials and were subsequently arrested for unlawful possession of unwrought gold and possession of suspected stolen property,' she added. 'No one is beyond the reach of the law' The provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for their outstanding work. He said the Hawks remain steadfast in their mission to dismantle illegal mining and smuggling networks. 'Criminals must understand that no one is beyond the reach of the law. We will continue to use every available resource to combat these unlawful activities that exploit our country's precious metals for personal gain,' Kadwa said. NOW READ: Foreign national caught with over R1m in cash and bag of bank cards
