Former ANC MP Vincent Smith corruption case postponed to April 2023

The case against former African National Congress (ANC) MP Vincent Smith has been postponed to April next year for a pre-trial hearing.

Smith appeared in the Johannesburg High Court for the first time on Tuesday after his case was transferred from the Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court in August.

The former ANC MP is facing charges of tax fraud, money laundering, corruption, and breach of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Act.

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He will return to court on 19 April 2023.

“The reason we request a lengthy postponement is through consultation between [the state] and [the defence] looking at the dates available for both parties… April was then agreed on. It’s not necessarily that we are requesting more time, but it was more so looking at both diaries and the availability of the legal representatives,” Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka told Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday.

Charges

The tax fraud charges stemmed from the failure of Smith and his company, Euroblitz 48, to disclose taxable income between 9 March 2009 and 11 July 2018, totalling R28 million.

Smith has been charged with corruption for gratification of R800 000 he allegedly received from Bosasa in the form of security upgrades to his home in Gauteng.

He also faces corruption charges for allegedly accepting further gratifications from Waterfall Golf Estate and CLIDET 69.

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The former ANC MP also faces charges for “allegedly accepting cash transferred into his and Euroblitz 48’s bank accounts from Bosasa and other people unknown to the state.”

The state alleged the payments were made to Smith to stop his opposition to Bosasa during parliamentary committee meetings.

Angelo Agrizzi

Smith was arrested alongside former Bosasa chief operations officer (COO) Angelo Agrizzi in 2020 and charged with corruption.

Their cases were, however, separated due to Agrizzi’s ill health.

Agrizzi stands accused of offering gratification on behalf of Bosasa to Smith, in exchange for his influence, as the then chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services from 2009 to 2014.

The former Bosasa COO has not appeared before the Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court since October 2020 after he suffered a heart attack in hospital.

The state was subsequently given permission in March this year to appoint a physician to examine him.

Agrizzi’s case was postponed to 23 January 2023, to await the outcome of another case in the Pretoria High Court on whether he could physically stand trial.

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In another matter, Agrizzi is facing charges of fraud and corruption in connection with four tenders awarded to Bosasa, and its subsidiaries.

He was charged alongside his three co-accused – including former Department of Correctional Services (DCS) commissioner Linda Mti, former DCS chief financial officer (CFO) Patrick Gillingham, and former Bosasa CFO Andries Van Tonder.

The Bosasa contracts, valued at over R1.8 billion, were awarded by the DCS between August 2004 and 2007, for rendering catering and training services, installation of CCTV cameras, installing perimeter fencing and supplying a CCTV system and monitoring equipment at prisons.