The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has managed to recover R18 million from law firms and attorneys that received duplicate payments from the Road Accident Fund (RAF). In the first phase of its probe, the SIU said it had identified 102 law firms that received duplicate payments from the RAF of approximately R340 million.
"Instead of returning the duplicate payments to RAF, legal practitioners opted to either keep the money in their trust accounts or use it to their personal benefit," the SIU said in a statement. It did not name the law firms involved.
The SIU has been probing allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the fund - which provides cover against death or injury to all SA road users - since late 2021.
"When approached with the evidence, several legal practitioners have opted to cooperate with the SIU investigation in defrayal of their indebtedness by the signing of acknowledgments of indebtedness," said the SIU.
When companies sign acknowledgements of debt, they commit to pay back money with interest over an agreed period.
The SIU has, to date, recovered around R18 million.
The unit's probe into the RAF is still at an early stage. As with its ongoing probe into corruption and fraud at the National Lotteries Commission, it has divided its investigation into different "phases". As it completes one phase, it starts with the next.
The RAF probe, which will have four phases in total, could take years to complete.