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Saving their butts

The bouncer with a get-out-of-jail card and other shady characters...

Oct 17, 2009 10:11 PM | By WERNER SWART and KIM HAWKEY

Several underworld characters have landed generous deals to stay out of jail by giving the state enough evidence to squeeze convicted druglord and murder accused Glenn Agliotti, the star witness in the case against former top cop Jackie Selebi. But the gamble could fail...


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HITMAN: Boxer Mikey Schultz, right, who, with two of his henchmen, Nigel McGurk and Faizel 'Kappie' Smith, stand to get off on charges relating to the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble
HITMAN: Boxer Mikey Schultz, right, who, with two of his henchmen, Nigel McGurk and Faizel 'Kappie' Smith, stand to get off on charges relating to the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble
quote 'They had all done deals. I had been in the cells for a month' - Glenn Agliotti
The bouncer with a get-out-of-jail card and other shady characters... quote

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Mikey Schultz, the tattooed boxer, pummelled his opponent Oupa Mahlangu with vicious body blows, then knocked him out just 47 seconds into the second round.

The former bouncer stepped into the ring at the Wembley indoor arena in Johannesburg on September 25 for the first time in over a decade.

His return to boxing came nearly four years after he allegedly fired six rounds into mining magnate Brett Kebble on September 27 2005.

The 34-year-old remains undefeated with 13 wins and two draws, and for now he is also free to carry on with life.

Schultz is one of numerous gangsters who have landed Section 204 deals and plea bargains, securing their freedom as long as they tell on each other and provide truthful evidence.

Their testimony across several criminal cases provides much-needed ammunition for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to force convicted drug peddler and murder accused Glenn Agliotti to dish up details on gifts and payments totalling about R1-million he made to Selebi - and which the state alleges is proof of their corrupt relationship.

Selebi, who is on trial in the High Court in Johannesburg, has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

The former police commissioner is in the dock - largely because of Agliotti's testimony, although the NPA's decision to prosecute him resulted in former President Thabo Mbeki suspending the NPA's former head, Vusi Pikoli, saying the deals were "a threat to national security".

At the time, Pikoli said in documents presented at the Ginwala inquiry into his fitness to hold office: "It is indeed difficult to imagine anything more subversive of the fight against organised crime, than a corrupt police chief who is on the take and in the pocket of organised crime."

Meanwhile Schultz and two of his henchmen, Nigel McGurk and Faizel "Kappie" Smith, stand to get off on charges relating to the murder of Kebble.

Their deal was instigated by security company boss Clinton Nassif, who allegedly arranged for them to kill Kebble.

Nassif also secured a deal for himself to get off on charges relating to Kebble's murder and the shooting of former Allan Gray chief investment officer, Stephen Mildenhall.

His deal included a get-out-of-jail card on charges relating to insurance fraud, income tax and VAT charges and "any" drug-related charges and offences relating to "illegal investigative methods", money laundering and racketeering and "other attempts and conspiracies to scare or kill someone".

In exchange, he is a state witness in the Selebi trial and two other high-profile cases involving some of the same players.

In one of these, the multimillion-rand "Paparas trial" Stephanos and Dimitrio Paparas and Stanley Poonin stand accused of drug smuggling. Agliotti and Nassif both received suspended sentences for their roles in the matter, as part of plea bargains they struck with the state.

Nassif had to forfeit £8 000 that he received as payment for his role in the drug case. They were caught out after the Scorpions seized hashish worth an estimated R250-million in July 2006, thanks to Anthony Dormehl.

Dormehl was recruited by Selebi's nemesis, Paul O'Sullivan, to snitch on the syndicate and he, in turn, received indemnity from prosecution.

Nassif is also expected to give evidence against Agliotti in the Kebble murder trial, in which Agliotti is the sole accused for now.

In an earlier affidavit, Nassif - who was Kebble's chief security adviser - spills the beans on how and why Kebble was killed in an alleged assisted suicide plot.

He said he had recruited Schultz, who roped in Smith and McGurk.

Nassif also demanded that a host of other alleged criminals linked to him get an opportunity to make deals with the then Scorpions. These include former employees Stephen Saunders, Henry Beukes and Dick Diedericks, his former right-hand man Mauro Sabattini and the two unidentified shooters of Mildenhall.

These deals have riled Agliotti. "They had all done deals. I had been in the cells for a month," he told the court.

"My life had basically been put on hold ... I was frustrated and angry."

Meanwhile boxing promoter Branco Milenkovic said Schultz was scheduled to fight again on October 30.

"People want to see him. He is a crowd pleaser ... you get boxers and you get fighters," he said. "Mikey is a fighter, he is not one of those guys who ducks and dives and runs away."

  • swartw@sundaytimes.co.za
  • hawkeyk@sundaytimes.co.za
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Comments

Oct 17 2009 10:37:13 PM
nkosipeter
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Sad to see South Africa which held the moral high ground for so long, now dragged into the morass by a whole bunch of scumbags at all levels wasting our time and money
Oct 17 2009 10:51:06 PM
AirParkReceipt
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The author of this article also has a name with boxing connotations .

Jonny and Henna Hawkey were both regulars on Doug Dolan's bills at Westridge Park in the 80's .

Are you related Kim .
Oct 18 2009 01:39:49 AM
Sakkie
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Who ever allowed the likes of Vito Palazzolo and Agliotti into the country should be in the dock along with them.
Oct 18 2009 02:04:01 AM
grant9
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The photo shows Agliotti, yet the caption reads "HITMAN: Boxer Mikey Schultz, right, who, with two of his henchmen, Nigel McGurk and Faizel 'Kappie' Smith, stand to ..."
Makes nonsence of the whole article.

What's the bet - Selebi gets off free and all the gangsters go free because they cooperated.
Oct 18 2009 06:44:49 AM
Simon Says
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Crime crime crime Haven!!! Bet you this is going to undo the world cup 2010!! Funny how Sakkie et al are so quick to blame the failures of SAPS on other people. Can you please identify the successes which you and your like have scored or may be you have another excuse for that?

Do you own a company? How many people depend on you waking up healthy and showing up at....your job if you have one...which does not include boot licking or talking political gibberish.
Oct 18 2009 07:25:03 AM
SydneyG
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This is another soap opera and another massive waste of our tax money, because nothing will come out of these needless talks and empty trials. Townships are burning as it were, people want service delivery and improved living conditions, the same millions that the state wastes on the greedy lawyers, would have been better used to address more pressing issues like lack of housing and employment. I'm tired of these hyped high profile trials where no real conviction ever takes place....Zuma's case is one good, or shall I say, bad example of wasting our tax money. Stuff these stupid cases because everybody knows that nobody will go to jail, at the end of the day. Give SA a break!
Oct 18 2009 07:43:19 AM
v3
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The probes don't go high enough.
The rot began with the high ANC cronies of both factions - Mbeki and Zuma/Cosatu
Oct 18 2009 08:06:42 AM
sibi
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I guess all those who received this Section 204 are back in the streets committing the same crimes.
Oct 18 2009 08:26:52 AM
Rockspider
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Agliotti is a very small fish, in a big very big pond. His father was a respected Maffioso. Remember Juri, the Rusky Mafia monkey, gunned down in Sea Point with his wife an kid. Puff The Magic Dragon and die.
Then we have the Nigerians that are in kahoots with government, and OWN government offices. Yeah, a really cool place to live South Africa. If you keep straight, you suffer and if you turn, the state slooks after you.
Oct 18 2009 08:28:03 AM
debecker
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what a soap opera it could be on TV very murky areas but is there more in the Selebi case?? why the NPA wanted him out the way whatever but if you are the top of Interpol you DONT KEEP friendly ties with crooks Selebi should have known sometimes you have to make sacrifices


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