Angelo Agrizzi’s corruption case postponed, state to go through his medical records

Angelo Agrizzi’s fraud and corruption case of over R800,000 on Thursday was postponed once again.

The former Bosasa chief operating officer (COO) was expected to appear at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, but he was a no-show. His lawyer handed over a medical certificate to the court stating that Agrizzi was too ill to attend court proceedings.

The court was expected on Thursday to hear whether the state had acquired the services of an independent pulmonologist to examine Agrizzi’s medical condition.

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This follows his failure to appear in court for nine months, since October 2020, citing ill health.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) Investigating Directorate (ID) said the case would resume again on 2 March 2022.

In the meantime, the state will be allowed to go through Agrizzi’s medical records and appoint a pulmonologist to ascertain whether he is indeed unable to attend his trial.

Agrizzi’s lawyer also requested that he report to a different police station as part of his bail conditions after he relocated to a different area in Johannesburg.

“He will be reporting to the Douglasdale police station from 10 December. He is expected to report every Friday,” said the ID’s spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka.

In November, the court had issued a warrant of arrest for Agrizzi, but it was stayed until the next appearance on 21 January 2022 in a separate case related to Bosasa’s R1.8 billion fraud and corruption trial.

Agrizzi is accused of paying bribes on behalf of Bosasa to former ANC parliamentarian Vincent Smith in exchange for his influence, as he was the then-chairperson of Parliament’s oversight committee on Correctional Services.

Bosasa scored contracts totalling just over R1 billion from Correctional Services between 2004 and 2007.

Smith faces charges of tax fraud, money laundering, corruption and alleged breach of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act for payments made to his company Euroblitz in 2015 and 2016.

The state was previously granted its application for a separation of trial because of Agrizzi’s ill health. 

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe