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A Gqeberha attorney who was convicted in 2021 on 11 charges, faces longer jail term after losing her appeal against her sentence.
Anne Swanepoel’s appeal application was dismissed by High Court Judge, Motilal Rugananan, in a 22-page judgement on 27 June.
Justice Rugananan said the charges against Swanepoel emanated from several counts of fraud, alternatively contraventions of the Attorneys Act between October 2015 and March 2018.
The judgment noted that Swanepoel had received funds from various people without disclosing that she had in fact been struck off the roll of attorneys, and also providing “professional services” as a practicing attorney.
She was convicted in September 2021 on five charges of fraud, five of contempt of court, and one count of theft and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, five years of which were suspended for a period of five years on condition that she is not convicted of any offence involving theft, fraud, or contempt of court.”
Swanepoel was granted leave to appeal the sentence, but not the conviction.
In December 2021 Swanepoel’s bail was also cancelled for breach of her bail conditions which “expressly prohibited” her from “rendering any legal services for a fee, gain or reward.”
The National Prosecuting Authority said she would be back in court again on 20 where the state is expected to bring an application to put into operation the five-year suspended sentence that formed part of her original sentence.
