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- The lawyer representing Bosasa’s former boss, Angelo Agrizzi, was offended by the “unexpected” decision of the state to oppose bail during his court appearance on Wednesday.
- Agrizzi is being charged alongside former ANC MP Vincent Smith, and he made his first appearance in the case.
- He faces corruption charges for payments made to Smith while Smith was a deputy.
Former Bosasa boss turned whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi allegedly withheld information about the value of his assets and, together with his wife Deborah, moved millions of rand overseas and into cryptocurrency accounts, a Gauteng court has heard.
Agrizzi bought a house in Italy worth about R15 million, divested assets including two multi-million rand Ferrari sports cars, transferred millions of rand to multiple cryptocurrency accounts, and moved millions more to Italy, all while he did not fulfill a bond with Absa in his luxury home Dainfern. The house was sold at auction last week for R9 million.
The state is now accusing Agrizzi of failing to properly disclose any of this during his February 2019 bail request in a separate corruption case.
In support of the opposition to his application for bail in Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on Wednesday, the State submitted an affidavit establishing that, in light of evidence of money movements abroad, Agrizzi may be a risk of leakage.
The affidavit is from Lieutenant Colonel Bernardus Lazarus, who is the investigating officer in a separate corruption case against Agrizzi and former prison officials related to the Bosasa bribery dating back to 2005, for which Agrizzi was arrested and released on bail on last year.
READ | Flights, Cash, and Cars: Here Are the Charges That Toppled the Bosasa Empire
Lazarus revealed that Agrizzi told the court in his February 6, 2019 bond application that he owned Dainfern’s property, which was in collateral for 8 million rand, and that he and his wife had personal property valued at around 6 million rand and real estate worth 14 million rand.
However, Lazarus stated that new information had since come to light “including the fact that the plaintiff (Agrizzi) had provided false information in the bail process.”
Lázaro detailed the following information:
- The real estate was not registered in the name of Agrizzi or his wife, but was registered with the Agrizzi Family Trust.
- On February 6, 2019, Agrizzi had no vehicles registered in his name and transferred ownership of a Ferrari 360 Modena and a BMW 760Li to his wife.
- Between December 11, 2018 and January 19, 2019, Agrizzi transferred R11.9 million to foreign accounts.
- Between December 21, 2018 and January 3, 2019, Deborah Agrizzi transferred R11.9 million to overseas accounts, from funds from payments to her FNB account totaling R7.9 million referred to as “Ferrari”, proceeds from the sale of two sports cars Ferrari and R12. millions of numerous accounts in the name of Agrizzi.
- Agrizzi and his wife had R8.7 million in various accounts and credit cards.
“Therefore, it is clear that the applicant (Agrizzi) significantly misrepresented the value of the personal property that belonged to him and his wife … as illustrated above, they had liquid assets (cash on hand) of at least R8. 5 million in local bank accounts and / or cash, assets abroad worth at least R24 million, as well as vehicles worth at least R2.8 million, “Lazarus stated.
The payments to Deborah Agrizzi’s accounts “appear to be consistent with the asset disposal at that time,” Lazarus said.
It also revealed that Absa was considering taking legal action to recover R9 million that Agrizzi owed on the bond for Dainfern’s house, which was last paid in February 2019.
Furthermore, at around the same time, Agrizzi made large payments, roughly R5 million, into cryptocurrency accounts, without paying the bond, which Lazarus claimed was evidence that Agrizzi had no intention of paying off the bond debt.
Agrizzi also made various payments to bank accounts that he and his wife had in Italy.
Attorney Mannie Witz confirmed that Agrizzi and Deborah were divorced early in their marriage, but continued to live together and raise their children as domestic partners.
Lazarus also revealed that they learned in August 2019 that Agrizzi had failed to surrender an Italian passport which, after their investigations, Agrizzi said, was lost.
His South African passport, which has expired, was confiscated by Lazaro, the court heard.
“I am now of the opinion that the plaintiff in fact poses a flight risk, as he has the means to leave the country and decided to mislead the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on February 6, 2019 … in the sense that he did not mention his assets abroad, “said Lázaro.
Agrizzi, other former Bosasa employees and prison service officials were arrested last year shortly after their marathon testimony before the Zondo commission on state capture, during which they revealed decades of grand corruption perpetrated by Bosasa.
Lazarus’ case under investigation is linked to an investigation by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) that analyzed allegations related to four multi-million dollar correctional services tenders and bribes that Bosasa paid to former commissioner of correctional services Linda Mti and former chief financial officer. from the department, Patrick. Gillingham.
However, the appearance of Agrizzi and former ANC MP Vincent Smith before the Specialized Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on Wednesday relates to a new case, opened by Paul O ‘Forensics for Justice. Sullivan last year.
News24 revealed for the first time that Smith received R670,000 from Bosasa, money he used to pay for his daughter’s tuition at a university in Wales, and that Bosasa had improved the security of Smith’s home in Roodepoort, free of charge.
Smith was released on bail of 30,000 rand after he turned himself in to the police on October 1. Agrizzi was unable to appear alongside him at the time due to health problems.
READ | Devastating indictment establishes how Vincent Smith’s opposition to Bosasa in Parliament waned
Witz told the court that he had no idea that the state was opposing the bail until proceedings began and only received Lazarus’s affidavit in court.
News24 understands that lawyers were quick to draw up an affidavit in response to the statement prepared by Lazarus during a tea break, before which Witz read Agrizzi’s affidavit in support of his bail request from the record, which he repeated the facts of his bail request last year.
The couple are accused of corruption, while Smith faces additional charges of fraud for payments made to Smith’s company, Euroblitz, in 2015 and 2016.
The State alleges that the payments were made to Smith to silence his opposition to Bosasa during the parliamentary committee meetings.
Smith has pleaded not guilty and maintains that the money was a loan from Agrizzi, which Agrizzi denies. Agrizzi also intends to plead not guilty.
Agrizzi came to court with a small oxygen device, and Witz explained that his absence from the previous court hearing was due to health problems, causing him to take oxygen every day.
Agrizzi sported a somber figure in a dark gray suit and purple tie and looked like a shadow of his normally energetic self as seen during lengthy appearances before the Zondo commission at the state capture last year and earlier this year.
Reporters packed the public gallery.
The hearing continues.
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