Joburg attorney in hot water for stealing client’s trust funds

Shaun Muskat allegedly pocketed funds paid into his trust account by a potential property buyer in March 2017.

PRETORIA, April 9 (ANA) – Former attorney Shaun Muskat has been granted R10,000 bail after appearing at the Palm Ridge specialised commercial crimes court on charges of trust fund theft of approximately R2.7 million (US$185,030).

Muskat, aged 37, appeared in court on Tuesday and his matter was postponed to April 14, Gauteng spokeswoman for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said in a statement.

Muskat, who was the property conveyancer at Muskat Attorneys based in Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, allegedly pocketed money paid into his trust account by a potential property buyer in March 2017.

“Muskat who has since been sequestrated and prohibited from practising as an attorney by the Law Society in 2018, handed himself at the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation office in Johannesburg accompanied by his lawyer on Tuesday … and (was) subsequently charged for theft,” Mulamu said.

In a similar case last year, North West attorney Isak Snyman was handed a 10-year sentence by the specialised commercial crimes court in Pretoria for theft of trust funds.

The Hawks said Snyman was hired in 2010 in Brits to purchase and register properties on behalf of clients and approximately R4 million was deposited into his trust account. But instead of purchasing the properties, he misappropriated the funds.

Snyman pleaded guilty and his sentence was wholly suspended for five years on condition that he repaid the money.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa