The Legal Practice Council (LPC) has denied acquitting Eastern Cape attorney Steven Kuselo Gqeba for the misappropriating R15 million which was meant for a disabled child's trust paid by the health department in a settlement.
The child was left disabled due to the health department’s negligence and the settlement was paid into Gqeba’s account who had to divert the funds.
On Wednesday, News24 published an article stating that LPC had acquitted Gqeba.
In a statement, LPC spokesperson Kabelo Letebele, said Gqeba, 53, had not been acquitted and was still suspended in terms of the Order of the High Court granted on August 8, 2023.
“Despite the headline stating that the LPC has acquitted Mr Gqeba, the LPC was not approached for comment prior to publication of the article. Had the LPC been given the opportunity to comment, it would have stated that whilst a disciplinary committee which was appointed to hear and decide the matter has reached certain conclusions, these do not constitute the verdict of the LPC,” said Letebele.
Letebele said the article was based solely on a report by a committee that forms part of the LPC’s disciplinary process, but the committee did not make the final decisions on any disciplinary process.
“The article reports that the committee has acquitted Mr Gqeba, when the matter has not even been considered by the Provincial Council, let alone the National Council of the LPC.
“Reporting which fails to include important broader perspective tends to reduce public confidence in the LPC as regulator, and by extension, in the ethical standards of the legal profession. This in turn has negative consequences for the public’s confidence in the rule of law,” he added.
In March 2023, IOL reported that Gqeba was arrested for the alleged theft of R3.5 million Road Accident Fund (RAF) and was subsequently released on R15,000 bail by the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Commenting on the RAF matter, Letebele said Gqeba was found guilty of those charges and the committee will determine a sanction deemed appropriate.
“The LPC has on average, successfully sought the removal of 80 to 100 practitioners off the roll for misconduct each year due to misconduct. These numbers demonstrate the LPC’s relentless efforts to deal with misconduct
“The LPC remains committed to fulfilling its mandate and will continue its efforts to protect the public against any form of misconduct,” he said.
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