Central SA
Theft case against former attorney postponed─── 12:23 Thu, 04 Aug 2022
A former attorney accused of theft relating to Road Accident Fund (RAF) claims, who was granted bail and is out on a warning, has reportedly been instructed to avoid interfering with the state witnesses.
The National Prosecuting Agency's spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, said the case against the 52-year-old Betty Diale has been set for a pretrial.
“The theft case against former attorney Betty Diale was postponed to 29 August 2022 for negotiations. She is charged with six counts of theft relating to the Road Accident Fund claims, amounting to R700 000, that she allegedly stole from her clients. Her defense attorney requested for a postponement in order to enter into negotiations with the state in relation to the charges, and the state did not oppose, although at this stage the details of the negotiations are unknown to us.”
Diale reportedly got arrested after a body that oversees the conduct of attorneys, known a Fidelity Funds, received several complaints that RAF claimants’ money was being paid into Diale’s account. She was practicing as an attorney during the period of these alleged crimes. Furthermore, she has reportedly been struck off the roll by the Legal Practice Council, and she cannot practice as an attorney.
