82-Year-Old Former Attorney Solomon Slom Sentenced to 10 Years' Imprisonment for R39.8 Million Theft

• The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court convicted an 82-year-old former attorney on charges of theft and money laundering
• Solomon Slom faced 145 counts of theft and 145 counts of money laundering related to R39.8 million in an escrow account
• The State claimed that Slom deliberately concealed his conduct through a sustained series of fraudulent payment requisitions

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - An 82-year-old former attorney and senior partner at Fluxmans Incorporated has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for theft and money laundering.

The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, convicted and sentenced Solomon Slom on 290 counts brought against him. Slom was charged with 145 counts of theft and 145 counts of money laundering.

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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed the outcome on 9 July 2026 in a statement issued by Gauteng Division Communications Officer, Magaboke Mohlatlole.

How Slom misappropriated R39.8 million

The case centred around a matter where a total of R45 million was deposited into an escrow account administered by Fluxmans Incorporated, subject to the satisfaction of specific contractual conditions. When a dispute arose between the contracting parties, the funds were required to stay untouched in the account pending resolution.

Investigations later uncovered that Slom had authorised 145 separate fraudulent transactions, moving approximately R39.8 million out of the escrow account without lawful authority. The payments were directed into a bank account over which Slom held power of attorney, despite that account having no relationship to any party named in the escrow agreements. Evidence presented to the court established that Slom applied the funds for his own personal benefit, causing the complainant a financial loss of R39.8 million.

Sentence and NPA response

The court imposed 10 years' imprisonment for the theft convictions and a further 10 years for the money laundering convictions, ordering both terms to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 10 years' direct imprisonment.

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Senior State Advocate Pretty Mabunda led the prosecution, successfully arguing that Slom had deliberately concealed the proceeds of his conduct through a sustained series of fraudulent payment requisitions, constituting both unlawful appropriation and money laundering under South African law.

Other stories about lawyers being criminally charged

• A Limpopo attorney who was facing fraud and theft charges was inaugurated as a PR councillor in November 2021.
• A lawyer accused of swindling a client out of a R1.8 million Road Accident Fund payout was released on R25,000 bail.
• A disgraced Johannesburg lawyer paid back a client’s R258,000 Road Accident Fund money after nine years.

Source: Briefly News