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OVERVIEW: Bosasa officials destroyed evidence to cover up corruption, Agrizzi tells #StateCaptureInquiry

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Former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi testifies at the state capture commission of inquiry in Parktown on January 18, 2018 in Johannesburg. (Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Felix Dlangamandla)
Former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi testifies at the state capture commission of inquiry in Parktown on January 18, 2018 in Johannesburg. (Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Felix Dlangamandla)

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22 Jan 2019

That was a heated final few minutes.

Tempers are frayed, and its been a long day. Agrizzi and Pretorius obviously not getting along, whereas throughout Pretorius has ignored the small quips from the witness stand. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Inquiry is adjourned

22 Jan 2019

A slight tiff has just erupted between Agrizzi and Pretorius over Agrizzi not being able to find a certain paragraph in the SIU report, Zondo steps in.

It's been a long day indeed.

"Take your time," Pretorius says. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

SIU found that Gillingham played an "integral role" from the outset in the procurement process and was "irregularly instrumental in developing the tender specifications." @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

PP: Evidence that you Agrizzi, have not given, and it will be referred to here, is that in respect of the kitchens tender awarded in July 2004, Supply Chain Management regs were broken, and there was no financial planning for the contact. @CowansView
PP: Evidence that you Agrizzi, have not given, and it will be referred 
to here, is that in respect of the kitchens tender awarded in July 2004,
 Supply Chain Management regs were broken, and there was no financial 
planning for the contact. 

@CowansView

<br />

22 Jan 2019

Pretorius will now take us through the SIU report. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi says that Mark and Sharon Taverner did appear before the SIU, but did not provide "the whole truth" in terms of their answers. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Subsequent to the SIU report, Mark and Sharon Teverner were subpoenaed by the SIU. Agrizzi explains he was mandated to ensure that Bosasa was not damaged. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

AA: Gavin Watson blamed everyone for the SIU report and what it uncovered.

But he said "he had it under control. We had to stick to him, otherwise the future would be very bleak". @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

PP: The SIU report represents corroborating evidence, we will go through it, and it may take some time. @CowansView
PP: The SIU report represents corroborating evidence, we will go through it, and it may take some time. 

@CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Despite all these efforts, the (brilliant) @RSASIU investigators still managed to find the evidence they needed to prove an improper relationship existed between Bosasa and DCS officials, namely Patrick Gillingham and Linda Mti. @CowansView
Despite all these efforts, the (brilliant) @RSASIU
 investigators still managed to find the evidence they needed to prove 
an improper relationship existed between Bosasa and DCS officials, 
namely Patrick Gillingham and Linda Mti. 

@CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Records at Blake's Travel agency and Bosasa were destroyed and/or altered.

Before an SIU raid, documents were removed so that investigators could not find such, and a server crash was orchestrated. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi has testified extensively how potentially damaging evidence was destroyed by himself and other Bosasa employees following media reports by @AdriaanBasson and the @mailandguardian @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Bosasa officials agreed with the SIU when the laptops and hard drives would be mirrored

22 Jan 2019

Bosasa officials had a meeting with the SIU, says Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

There was no SIU raid, says Agrizzi
There was no SIU raid, says Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

Documents were later destroyed, says Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

Documents were placed in storage on a farm

22 Jan 2019

Pretorius says it seems improbable that documents implicating Watson were captured in writing.  

Agrizzi insists that it was done

<p>Pretorius says it seems improbable that documents
implicating Watson were captured in writing.

&nbsp;
</p><p>Agrizzi insists that it was done

</p>

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi says he had to leave his American guests and rush to the office.  

Watson was there

<p>Agrizzi says he had to leave his American guests and rush to
the office.

&nbsp;

</p><p>Watson was there

</p>

22 Jan 2019

Watson called me and said that the offices were going to be raided, says Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

Instruction was to fake a server crash and destroy files

22 Jan 2019

Every single instruction came from Gavin Watson, says Agrizzi
Every single instruction came from Gavin Watson, says
Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

Every travel Bosasa travel invoice was rewritten to fool auditors, says Agrizzi

22 Jan 2019

Computers and documents were burnt

22 Jan 2019

All documents relating to the corruption in conjunction with Blake's Travel was destroyed
All documents relating to the corruption in conjunction with
Blake's Travel was destroyed

22 Jan 2019

We're back

22 Jan 2019

Inquiry is adjourned for 10 minutes, to resume at 15:50

22 Jan 2019

PP: Who instigated the spying operation?

AA: Gavin Watson. It was to try an confirm conspiracy theory.

<p>PP: Who instigated the spying operation?
</p><p>AA: Gavin Watson. It was to try an confirm conspiracy theory. 
</p>

22 Jan 2019

PP: Attacks on Bosasa were categorised as attacks by "international capitalists” and ‘activist Afrikaner companies".

Agrizzi says that this is a standard response by Bosasa. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi is still being taken through @AdriaanBasson piece from 2009.

He confirms every detail in Basson's story as correct and true. Wow. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Did you give Mr Basson the documents he refers to in the article?

No, I would not have spoken to him in those years.

He got it from a couple of people inside Bosasa. @CowansView

<p>Did you give Mr Basson the documents he refers to in the article?
</p><p>No, I would not have spoken to him in those years. 

</p><p>He got it from a couple of people inside Bosasa. 

@CowansView

<br /></p>

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi confiming the media report line by line. @CowansView
Agrizzi confiming the media report line by line. 

@CowansView

<br />

22 Jan 2019

PP: Do you know what role Mr Gillingham was the head of the bid committees. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi says he never saw any evidence that Balfour was bribed. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

AA: I was asked to do a spying exercise on them, a company was employed to take photographs and mingle with them and give a report back on DCS officials. @CowansView
AA: I was asked to do a spying exercise on them, a company was employed 
to take photographs and mingle with them and give a report back on DCS 
officials. 

@CowansView

<br />

22 Jan 2019

Agrizzi: Minister Balfour maybe had only a glass of wine from Bosasa. That's it. Nothing more. @CowansView

22 Jan 2019

PP: Is it correct to your knowledge that confidential documents were leaked to Bosasa by Partick Gillingham. @CowansView
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