The National Consumer Tribunal (Tribunal) found Gardner guilty of contravening the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 and his conditions of registration as a debt counsellor.
This follows an investigation of complaints against Gardner by the National Credit Regulator (NCR) related to his activities as a debt counsellor.
The Tribunal found Gardner guilty of contraventions related, amongst others:
The Tribunal imposed an administrative fine of R500,000 on Gardner. Furthermore, the tribunal ordered Gardner to appoint an independent auditor to audit his consumer files dating back three years in order to identify, amongst others, consumers who were overcharged fees by him.
The auditors’ report must be given to the NCR once completed, and Gardner will refund consumers identified by the auditors as having been overcharged