How Bosasa built up its millionaire mountains of ‘bribery cash’

With witnesses continuing to corroborate key aspects of former Bosasa chief operating officer (COO) Angelo Agrizzi’s earlier evidence before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, individuals implicated in the Bosasa graft that led to billions being siphoned from government coffers through questionable department of correctional services tenders are set to have a mountain to climb in challenging Agrizzi.

ALSO READ: State capture witness Gregory Lawrence details cash deliveries to Bosasa

Tuesday saw three witnesses, who included two investigators employed by the commission, confirming Agrizzi’s earlier testimony on:

• How Bosasa raised and laundered money, allegedly destined to bribe powerful politicians, including ministers and senior civil servants.

• Security upgrades at the private residences of two ministers, and an African National Congress (ANC) MP, and at the home of a chief magistrate.

• The venue where the meeting to discuss the police investigation progress report into Bosasa was discussed in 2015 – with Jacob G Zuma Foundation chair Dudu Myeni handing the document to Bosasa chief executive Gavin Watson and Agrizzi.

Under cross-examination by commission evidence leader Paul Pretorius, Gregory Lawrence, whose job was to deliver millions in plastic bags and boxes to Bosasa in exchange for a commission fee, presented the inquiry with a video taken from his cellphone to back up his testimony.

Currently managing director of AfriTrade Distributors, Lawrence spoke of his tenure at Equal Trade after 2004 – a company that traded in liquor and food supplies in southern Africa. 

Explained Lawrence: “Our clients would come into South Africa and purchase with cash or EFT, and then arrange for the alcohol to be transported.

“Cash accounted for 60% of purchases – roughly R1.5 million per consignment. One of the biggest costs in our business was interest paid on bank deposits.  

“Around 2012, boss Gregg Lecon Allan told me that instead of depositing cash to the bank, I should take it to Bosasa in Krugersdorp.

“Bosasa would take the hard cash and pay us back via EFT, with interest, something which was a cost saving for the company.

“Allan’s company had a business relationship with Bosasa to also supply food.”

Lawrence presented a video, which he took using his cellphone, driving into Bosasa’s Krugersdorp headquarters to deliver cash contained in plastic bags and boxes – received at a parking bay by a Bosasa employee.

The commission also heard testimony from Themba Mlambo, who accompanied Bosasa’s former head of “special projects” Richard Le Roux in January to the Gauteng homes of ANC heavyweight Nomvula Mokonyane, Pretoria chief magistrate Desmond Nair, ANC MP Vincent Smith and Correctional Services Deputy Minister Thabang Makwetla.

Mlambo confirmed that CCTV cameras, alarm systems, electric fencing and beams installed by Bosasa at the homes still existed.  

“I only observed cameras at the homes of Smith and Makwetla having been replaced. Everything else is still there,” said Mlambo.

Another commission investigator, Frank Dutton, who visited the restricted 6^th floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria last year, where Myeni in 2015 presented Watson and Agrizzi with the police anti-corruption investigation document into Bosasa, also corroborated Agrizzi’s testimony.

Dutton: “I visited the Sheraton Hotel to see whether I can match these with what I have seen in photographs supplied by Agrizzi. I observed that the carpet and floor matched.

“The hotel general manager interviewed also told us that records confirmed that Dudu Myeni was a guest at the hotel in September 2015.” 

The commission resumes its hearings on Monday.

– brians@citizen.co.za

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