POLITICS

Agrizzi cross-examination postponed...for now

Postponement is due to outstanding Bosasa documentation that the commission needs

#StateCaptureInquiry: Agrizzi cross-examination postponed... for now

9 October 2019

State capture commission of inquiry chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has postponed the cross-examination of former Bosasa employees Angelo Agrizzi and Frans Vorster.

On Monday, Zondo granted former Armaments Corporation of South Africa CEO Kevin Wakeford permission to cross-examine the two.

Wakeford was among the people who benefited from Bosasa (now African Global Operations), according to Agrizzi's testimony in January.

Agrizzi told the commission that Wakeford allegedly received R100 000 from Bosasa every month to assist the company with SA Revenue Service issues.

On Wednesday morning, Agrizzi and Vorster, who were represented by advocate Deon Pool, applied for a postponement due to outstanding Bosasa documentation that the commission needed.

'Misleading'

Evidence leader Paul Pretorius SC said the documents were under the control of curators who were still disputing who the lawful curator was.

During the proceedings, Wakeford's advocate Reg Willis said Agrizzi's affidavit in support of the postponement request, which was handed to Zondo in chambers, "ignored the facts to the history of this matter."

"This affidavit is wilfully misleading of you and this commission," he said.

Willis said when his client was implicated by Agrizzi on January 29, 2019, he declined the opportunity to respond to the media in "good faith and in accordance with your (Zondo's) comments in this commission".

"He (Wakeford) has had to forgo work opportunities [and] employment opportunities… his employment tenure came to an end in April and he has also had to experience a continual flashing out of new facts and new information in the affidavits that have come to this commission," Willis told Zondo.

Zondo agreed to postpone the matter without fixing a new date.

He also said he would determine in due course the time that he would allow for cross-examination.

News24