Two legal aid lawyers and their clients were arrested for corruption at the Johannesburg magistrate's court yesterday, Gauteng police said.

Two legal aid lawyers and their clients were arrested for corruption at the Johannesburg magistrate's court yesterday, Gauteng police said.

"The arrest took place after a court orderly was approached by the two lawyers for assistance with one of their clients. The court orderly was supposed to make some of the documents inside the case docket disappear after the court case was finalised," said police spokesman Inspector Hein van Heerden.

The client, who had been arrested for theft, was prepared to pay a bribe to the court orderly.

The orderly played along with the request and then contacted the Randburg police.

"After court proceedings yesterday the lawyers' client was taken to holding cells at the court, and then handed over money agreed upon to the orderly in front of the two lawyers. He was told to hand over the rest of the money to his lawyers once he had left the building," said Van Heerden.

Members from the Randburg Robbery Reaction Group then arrested the two lawyers and their client inside the court building. They will appear in court soon. - Sapa