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JOHANNESBURG. — Oscar Pistorius has racked up lawyers’ bills amounting to R17,5 million — and he cannot pay them, City Press reports. The athlete, sentenced to five years in jail on Tuesday for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, is broke and still owes his lawyers in the region of R10 million. City Press understands that 27-year-old Pistorius’ financial situation is so dire that his high-powered legal team — led by Advocate Barry Roux SC, and which included Advocate Kenny Oldwage and attorney Brian Webber — has been representing him free of charge for at least the past two months.

A source close to the Pistorius family said his legal bill now stands at R17,5 million, and about R10 million is still outstanding.
During his closing arguments before Pistorius’ sentencing this week, Roux told the North Gauteng High Court and Judge Thokozile Masipa that his client had “no further funds available and is in fact hopelessly in debt as a consequence of the incident and the duration of the trial”.

“He has for some time now had no more funds to pay for his outstanding legal fees and costs, and is living in the house of his uncle.”
However, City Press understands the family is not keen to pay the bill and a dispute is brewing over it.

A source close to the family said there was “definitely great unhappiness” about the legal fees which were “much higher” than the family expected.
Pistorius’ uncle, Arnold Pistorius, has told family members he is considering having the bill “taxed and assessed”.

Any client unhappy with their legal costs can approach the Taxing Master of the court for a “taxation of costs”. The legal team would need to justify the reasonableness of the costs being claimed, and the issue is then decided by the Taxing Master.

A source close to the legal team says Arnold Pistorius has refused to cover the outstanding amount, believing his nephew should be responsible for the bill.
But Pistorius — who was estimated to earn about R20 million a year before the 2012 London Olympics — has no more money, so the bill has been sent to his uncle.

City Press understands there was tension between Roux and Arnold Pistorius, who tried to influence the direction of the case but was told to butt out. A source close to the legal team said his opinion was not welcome, given his refusal to settle outstanding fees.

However, the dispute over the bill may not end up in a fight.
A confidant of Barry Roux’s told City Press Roux “is a stayer and not the kind of person to walk away from the case”.

“Barry has said not everything is about money, and he is extremely doubtful he will ever see what he is owed,” the confidant said.
Roux declined to comment on the bill last week. Pistorius family spokesperson Anneliese Burgess said Arnold Pistorius was out of town and she was unable to alert him to City Press’s enquiry.

The State has another week to decide whether they will appeal Judge Thokozile Masipa’s judgment, which found Pistorius not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.