Fraudulent law degree leads to charges against former NPA prosecutor

A former prosecutor for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is facing serious charges after allegedly defrauding the State of more than R1.1 million.

Luthando Nomandindi, 33, appeared in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court in the Eastern Cape facing charges of fraud, forgery, and uttering.

The charges stem from Nomandindi's time at Walter Sisulu University (WSU), where he was enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree programme from 2010 to 2016.

Despite being registered for six years, Nomandindi failed to satisfy the academic requirements necessary for graduation.

Police spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said: "Despite this, in 2020, Nomandindi apparently submitted a falsified LLB degree certificate and a bogus Legal Education and Development (L.E.A.D) attendance report as part of his application to the NPA’s Aspirant Prosecutor Programme, which required a legitimate LLB qualification or proof of final-year status."

Mhlakuvana said based on his fraudulent credentials, in January 2021, Nomandindi was appointed as an Aspirant Prosecutor and later elevated to the position of Public Prosecutor.

Using the same fake qualifications, Nomandindi applied for a promotion at the Regional Court as a Court Prosecutor and he was shortlisted for appointment.

However, his fraudulent reign came crashing down when the NPA sought original academic certificates from him. In a panic, Nomandindi resigned on March 15 this year, just before the original documents were to be reviewed.

The discrepancies in his qualifications were quickly flagged, leading to the investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit.

The inquiry revealed that WSU had never conferred any LLB degree upon Nomandindi. Furthermore, the Legal Education and Development organisation confirmed that due to outstanding fees on his account, they had never issued him an attendance report either.

Nomandindi was arrested on July 22, and made a court appearance on the same day. He was subsequently released on R5000 bail.

The matter was posted to August 18, for disclosure of docket contents.

Cape Times