Typist 'stole from trust fund'

2007-10-08 21:10

Johannesburg - An attorneys' conveyancing secretary appeared in court for the fourth time on Monday for allegedly stealing from her employer's trust fund over a period of two years.

Denise Lillian Kidd, 48, of Woodhead Drive, Edgemead, appeared in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court before magistrate Amrith Chabilall, who warned her to return to court for trial on Wednesday.

She faces 89 counts of fraud, alternatively theft, involving thousands of rand, but with no total sum as yet indicated on the charge sheet.

Dealt directly with clients

She is alleged to have stolen from the firm VGV Attorneys in Bellville.

According to the charge sheet, her duties included the transfer of fixed property, the registration of bonds and the typing of conveyancing documentation.

She also dealt directly with clients and the financing of transactions.

The charge sheet says she had to pay clients their profits after the registration of bonds.

The charge sheet alleges that if clients had any money left in the trust account, Kidd issued trust cheques or transferred funds electronically to institutions or people to whom she personally owed money.

Case would take the form of a plea bargain

The charge sheet alleges that she also forged the signatures of VGV directors PJ Groenewalt and C van Oudtshoorn.

At her second court appearance on August 27, prosecutor Jacques Smith said the case would take the form of a plea bargain, where all involved - the magistrate, prosecuting authorities, the complainant and the accused - agree to the punishment to be imposed, thereby drastically shortening otherwise protracted proceedings.

Smith said at Monday's hearing that agreement had not yet been reached on "some issues" and the case was postponed to October 10.

- SAPA