State Attorney’s Office Rocked by Shocking Arrest of Advocate for Alleged Fraud

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has approved the arrest of Advocate Hassan Ebrahim Kajee, who faces accusations of defrauding the Office of the State Attorney. Following an investigation by the SIU, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) arrested Kajee, who was subsequently released on bail of R20,000.

According to SAnews, the Advocate was a lawyer for the Office of the State Attorney and represented the State in various matters. The SIU investigation revealed that Kajee inflated invoices, invoiced for services not rendered, overcharged for alleged services rendered, billed more hours daily than were possible, and invoiced for work on different matters simultaneously. According to the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU provided proof of misconduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), resulting in Kajee’s arrest. The case will be back in court next month.

Additionally, the SIU has brought Kajee to the Special Tribunal in a civil case connected to a R27 million damages case. The SIU is pursuing a civil suit against Kajee to recover approximately R27 million for damages the State suffered, which the SIU alleges resulted from the corrupt and deceitful relationship between Kajee and Gustav Lekabe, the former head of the Office of the State Attorney in Johannesburg. Lekabe faces suspicions of having briefed Kajee as counsel for the State in multiple matters in which Kajee charged legal fees for work not done, double-charged for similar work done in a particular case, and double-invoiced the Office of the State Attorney.

The SIU is authorised to institute a civil action in a Special Tribunal or the High Court to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during both investigations resulting from corruption, fraud or maladministration.

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Picture: Image by Mona Tootoonchinia from Pixabay