THE Hawks on Friday confirmed they are investigating a case against the Sandton, Johannesburg, lawyer accused of swindling a widow of R2.6 million in proceeds of the sale of a property in the North West.
Charges against Mohseen Mayet and his Sandton-based law firm, Mohseen Mayet Inc., were laid at the Zeerust police station in December after the co- and joint executors’ attempts to access the funds were unsuccessful.
The house belonged to Abdullah Ellemdin, who died in 2021, and was sold the following year, with his widow the sole beneficiary of the estate.
Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, spokesperson for the Hawks in the North West, said the matter was still under investigation.
Documents, including court papers and correspondence, detail how the sale of the late husband’s property has turned into a nightmare for Ellemdin’s widow and the buyer, who has since filed a misconduct complaint against Mayet with the Legal Practice Council (LPC).
The correspondence shows that Mayet confirmed receipt of the funds to purchase the property in April 2022.
At the time, Mayet confirmed that the buyer and the seller had agreed that the purchase price would be paid into his law firm’s trust account and be held in trust in an investment account for the benefit of the seller or his/her nominee until such time that the property has been transferred into the purchaser’s name.
In December, Mayet promised that after he invested the proceeds of the sale, which totalled just over R2.6m, in a company named Ultimate Heli, of which he claims to hold a 26% share in the company, the value would be about four times more.
”Upon conclusion of that transaction, the profit I stand to recover is in the region of R10m. This was to be realised much sooner than expected, however, disputes ensued, hence the delay. The anticipated timeframe of completion in that respect is six months, being June 2025,” he promised.
His undertaking has been rejected by the co- and joint executors of late Abdullah Ellemdin’s estate, Zunaid Abdoola and Ahmad Bham, respectively.
Abdoola declined to comment on the matter, while Tariq Thokan, the co- and joint executors’ lawyer, who has just been appointed to the matter, said it was still ongoing.
Last month, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, ordered Mayet and his firm, Mohseen Mayet Inc., to furnish Abdoola, Bham, and the LPC with all records containing the particulars and information together with substantiating vouchers detailing the particulars of to whom monies were paid out of the funds to from the firm’s trust account.
Mayet on Friday claimed reports about the alleged swindling of the widow and complaints to the LPC constituted “defamation and it contains false statements and inaccuracies” but has not responded to inquiries.
The LPC did not respond to inquiries on the complaint against Mayet.