Bobroff's wife given a reprieve

The wife and mother of embattled father and son lawyer duo Ronald and Darren Bobroff left behind in SA has dodged her own criminal charges - for now.

Johannesburg - As the the State looks set to institute extradition proceedings against embattled father and son lawyer duo Ronald and Darren Bobroff, the wife and mother they left behind has dodged her own criminal charges - for now.

The father and son, as well as Darren’s wife Lisa, sold their law firm, Ronald Bobroff & Partners, and fled to Australia in March. This was allegedly after receiving a tip-off that they were going to be arrested on money laundering charges involving tens of millions of rand.

Days later, the high court in Pretoria granted a curatorship order after it was revealed that the Bobroffs' firm had accrued almost R30 million spread over a number of bank accounts, and that the Road Accident Fund was set to pay a further R45m to it.

This happened after the Law Society of the Northern Provinces conducted an audit, revealing gross financial irregularities at the firm.

But while the father, son and daughter-in-law were able to escape South Africa, Ronald’s wife Elaine was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering.

At the beginning of this month, Elaine again appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court (SCCC), but after a lengthy postponement request by the State was rejected, prosecutors agreed to provisionally withdraw the charges against the elderly woman.

According to the Bobroffs' lawyer, David Bayliss, the State had initially told the court its investigation was complete, but that a request to postpone Elaine’s case to December proved this was not the case.

He said Elaine’s arrest had been a traumatic exercise, and that having her continually appear in court while the State completed its investigation had infringed on her rights to a fair and swift trial.

Bayliss was also quick to note that the State conceded that Elaine’s bank accounts - suspected to have been used in the money laundering - may have been controlled by someone else.

A detailed medical report was also submitted to the SCCC, explaining that Elaine suffered from multiple anxiety disorders. Psychiatrist Dr Leon Fine wrote in the report that she suffered from a depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and agoraphobia.

Fine said the uncertainty of the trial date and lack of information surrounding the charges had exacerbated her condition, and that if a lengthy postponement were implemented, it would be possible that she would require hospitalisation.

He also noted that Elaine had feelings of helplessness and isolation, “made worse by the absence of her husband, upon whom she has always been emotionally reliant and dependent”.

But while the charges against Elaine were provisionally withdrawn, sources close to the investigation have said the charges would be reinstated once the other Bobroffs were brought back to face the court case against them.

Meanwhile, National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Phindi Louw confirmed on Tuesday that the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit had started the extradition process.

However, when questioned about the extradition, Bayliss was adamant the State could not initiate extradition proceedings against Ronald and Darren until it had completed its investigation.

shain.germaner@inl.co.za

The Star