Estate agency co-founder heads for Australia

THE FRAUD saga involving an upmarket Sea Point estate agency is heating up, with police permitting its co-founder to leave the country to confront his business partner who apparently left him in the lurch before the scandal broke.

Beyers Swanepoel-Trollip, co-founder of Beyers Realty Group, travelled to Australia this week to his spouse and fellow company founder Lenard Swanepoel-Trollip.

Lenard left South Africa before it emerged last month that millions of rands had allegedly disappeared from a company trust account.

A police investigation was launched.

Swanepoel-Trollip’s departure this week sparked fear among some Beyers Realty Group staffers who were concerned he had skipped the country.

But yesterday he said there was nothing untoward about his travels: “I am on a visit to Australia to sort out some serious issues with my spouse.

“The investigating officer was informed and consulted in advance of my trip and raised no objection.”

Swanepoel- Trollip is expected to return to Cape Town on November 16.

After allegations about the alleged fraud surfaced, Beyers Realty Group was liquidated and placed under curatorship.

“I have met with and provided documents and information to the interim curator,” Swanepoel-Trollip said.

Earlier this month he said two auditors had failed to pick up irregularities in Beyers Realty Group.

Swanepoel- Trollip has described himself as an “innocent party” in the matter.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za