Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former Bosasa COO-turned-whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi abandoned his application for the courts to review the delay in his fraud case after the State appointed a doctor to examine him.
The matter was back in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday, where the State said it had secured a team of medical experts to examine Agrizzi.
Agrizzi has not set foot in court since 2020, citing ill-health.
His legal team intended to argue an application in section 342A of the Criminal Procedure Act regarding the unreasonable delay in appointing a doctor to examine him. The State has since acquired the services of an independent pulmonologist.
Agrizzi gives State access to his medical records as R1.8bn Bosasa fraud case moves to High Court
His lawyer, Mannie Witz, told the court that Agrizzi was undergoing plasma exchange therapy, which is used to treat various autoimmune diseases, and handed in a medical certificate.
The prosecutor, Arno Rossouw, argued that, because Agrizzi was undergoing plasma exchange therapy, it did not mean it was happening on the day of his case.
He said, in the future, Agrizzi has to submit a more detailed medical certificate to explain why he cannot come to court.
Agrizzi and former ANC MP Vincent Smith were arrested and charged with corruption after Agrizzi allegedly offered gratification on behalf of Bosasa to Smith, in exchange for his influence, as the then chairperson of Parliament’s oversight committee on correctional services.
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Bosasa was awarded contracts worth just over R1 billion from the correctional services department between 2004 and 2007.
Smith faces additional fraud charges for alleged payments made to his company, Euroblitz, in 2015 and 2016. He also faces money laundering charges, tax evasion and an alleged breach of the Financial Intelligence Act.
The matter will be back in court on 18 May 2022 for a high court date to be set.
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