CITIZEN REPORTER and SAPA

JOHANNESBURG - Roger Kebble allegedly knew his son was planning to kill himself.

This was the bombshell dropped by Brett Kebble’s former security adviser, Clint Nassif, in the trial of Glenn Agliotti yesterday.

Nassif told the court how Kebble told him he had to die or face a long prison sentence.

Nassif said Kebble was a “desperate man” with his back to the wall at the time of his death. He claimed Agliotti and Kebble’s business partner, John Stratton, had asked him if it was possible to give someone a tablet that “wouldn’t be picked up in an autopsy”.

After the shooting of Allan Gray auditor, Stephen Mildenhall, Nassif met Kebble, Agliotti and Stratton in the dining room of Kebble’s home and told them he had been unable to procure such a pill, but realised how serious Kebble was about taking his own life.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, that this was what he wanted to do,” said Nassif.

“That night I phoned Roger Kebble and told him what he (Brett Kebble) was planning.”

Nassif said Kebble’s father later told him this was in his son’s nature, threatening suicide when “things got hard”.

But Kebble “blasted” Nassif for revealing his plans to his father and explained why he had to die.

He allegedly told Nassif he would have to find another solution if the pill wasn’t an option.

Nassif said he later enlisted the aid of boxer Mikey Schultz and two other bouncers and Kebble began to give them instructions on the different scenarios he was planning.

These included gunning him down as he came out of a restaurant or in front of his house.

He claims his relationship with the killers ended when Agliotti was arrested in 2006 and that they had not spoken or seen each other in about three years when they were called to strike a deal at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) offices.

“If I could, I would change what happened, I wouldn’t kill Brett Kebble,” Nassif told the court.

Nassif went on to apologise for his actions to the Kebble family and Mildenhall, saying he had been “humbled” by his experiences over the past five years.

But Agliotti’s defence team started poking holes in his testimony.

Agliotti’s attorney, advocate Laurence Hodes, pointed out evidence in Nassif’s statement to the Scorpions which contradicted his evidence given in court.

Hodes put to Nassif that he had left Agliotti out of his statement to the now-defunct Scorpions, which contradicted his testimony in court.

“In relating with Brett Kebble you never interposed Mr Agliotti... between the two of you... when you made that statement as you did in this court,” Hodes said.

Nassif replied: “I was providing Mr Stratton and Mr Kebble with services, not Mr Agliotti.”

To which Hodes replied: “That’s music to my ears.”

Hodes questioned Nassif about these “services” which included intelligence-gathering, surveillance and even framing people.

One incident referred to was when Nassif had child pornography placed on the computer of a Kebble employee.

Hodes told Nassif he did not qualify as a Section 204 witness and proceeded to point out the number of lies he had told.

According to Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, an accused can get indemnity from prosecution if the person’s testimony in court is honest.

The trial continues.