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Agrizzi shows inquiry video of Bosasa bosses counting money for ACSA tender bribe

17th January 2019

By: African News Agency

  

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Former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi on Thursday showed the commission probing state capture a video in which businessman Gavin Watson counted money allegedly used to pay a bribe to secure a R14 million a month contract from the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA).

Continuing his testimony before the commission presided over by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Agrizzi stuck to his guns that Watson, the Bosasa chief executive, used his political ties and bribed state officials to win a lucrative catering, facilities management and security contract for his company at various government institutions.

Agrizzi had on Wednesday told the inquiry that when Bosasa was awarded a five-year contract by ACSA to guard the multi-story parkade at OR Tambo International Airport in 2001, he would take stacks of cash to the airport to make payments to individuals at ACSA in bags similar to police evidence bags.

He said Bosasa, now trading as African Global Operations, spent between R4 million and R6 million per month to bribe officials to score government contracts worth more than R10 billion.

In the six-minute long video shown on Thursday, Watson is seen with his former business partner Johannes Gumede and executive director Papa Leshabane apparently counting cash inside a walk-in vault at Bosasa offices where Agrizzi said confidential documents were also stored. 

Agrizzi said there were two cash bags full of money on the table, although it was not distinguishable on the video that the bags contained money.

The video shows a man Agrizzi identified as chief financial officer Andries van Tonder taking out a box of money from the company secretary's vault while the camera was in his left hand pocket.

Agrizzi said only Watson, Gumede, Leshabane and van Tonder were in the room. Leshabane is seen speaking on the phone and later leaving the 'vault' with the box of cash. 

Agrizzi said Gumede, heard speaking on the recording, had asked for an extra R10,000 to be used for bribes.

Watson also had a drop-in safe others also used to stash cash if he was not in the office, Agrizzi said.

"My hands are pretty bruised from dropping money into the drop safe," he told the commission.

Bosasa has been implicated in corruption, doing favours for, and giving donations to influential politicians in return for government tenders.

Evidence leader Advocate Paul Pretorius said those implicated in Agrizzi's testimony had been alerted and would have an opportunity to respond. 

Edited by African News Agency

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