Selebi called an "arrogant liar"

The prosecution in the corruption trial for former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi concluded its often heated, nine-day cross-examination of him.

The cross examination in the High Court in Johannesburg, was not short on humour, sarcasm and dramatic outbursts as Nel and Selebi took each other on.

Gerrie Nel quizzed Selebi about his financial affairs, his expensive taste in clothing and his relationship with convicted drugs trafficker Glenn Agliotti.

On Friday, Nel accused Selebi of being an "arrogant liar" after he told the court his wife had shredded the receipts they used to compile a list of the family's household expenses.

"Mr Selebi, this is becoming more and more ridiculous. You know what this shows? That you are arrogant and that you lie," said Nel.

Nel accused Selebi of money laundering by changing large sums of cash - including money allegedly received from Agliotti - "into foreign currencies and back into rands, so that when asked where you got your cash, you'd say 'I sold forex'".

Nel claimed Selebi used part of the R300,000 he allegedly received from Agliotti to purchase clothing at Grays, a luxury clothing store in Sandton, where R56,000 was spent on his account on September 292005 .

The court heard that items bought included tailored "top of the range" Brioni and Aigner suits, and Aigner shirts, ties and shoes.

"You bought clothes to the value of R56,000? Anything special about that? That was more than your salary," Nel put it to Selebi.

Selebi replied that he had made the purchase following his appointment as Interpol president as he had to look good for his first Interpol congress.

"I had to keep up the looks. Brioni suits... it's top of the range," he said.

While Selebi claimed that he "exchanged forex" and carried R25,000 cash to the store to pay the account, Nel contended that he "used cash from [Glenn] Agliotti to pay".

"Otherwise, why would you carry such a large sum through a shopping mall?" he asked, adding: "On Mr Agliotti's evidence, he said since he paid you out from Springlights, your purchases at Grays increased."

Selebi denied ever receiving money or clothing from Agliotti.

Agliotti testified earlier that he bought Selebi an Aigner suit and Hugo Boss knitwear from Grays.

"That cannot be true. That he gave me money to buy clothes... it's just not true. I knew Grays before Agliotti even got to know about Grays," Selebi said.

Asked why Agliotti knew his suit size, Selebi responded that the size 58 suit Agliotti claimed to have bought for him, was "not my size".

Selebi did describe Agliotti as a "generous" person who often bought his [Selebi] driver's lunch.

Selebi also described Agliotti as a flamboyant, charming and convincing police informant who always tipped him off about white-collar crime.

He maintained that their relationship had been merely one of information sharing. They had also discussed fashion. Selebi said they had been friends, but not "bosom buddies".

He denied sharing classified police information with Agliotti, but admitted to having a secret document declassified so he could show it to him.

This document contained information about information peddlers, one of them being Jugen Kogel, whom Selebi accused of spreading false rumours that the Kebble mining family was running businesses for him.

Selebi has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice in connection with at least R1.2m he allegedly received from Agliotti and others in return for favours.

The case continues on Monday.