'Still more is going to come out of this,' Hawks say following Bosasa arrests

Following the arrest of five high-profile suspects, including whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi, on Tuesday, the Hawks have said more arrests could follow.

“I think the country can take into confidence the fact that we take these matters very seriously, and I think there is still more that is going to come out of this,” said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

Mulaudzi made the remarks at Pretoria’s Specialised Commercial Crime Court, where Agrizzi, Andries van Tonder, Frans Voster, Carlos Bonaficio and Patrick Gillingham appeared on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering.    

They, along with two others, have been linked to the alleged corrupt awarding of tenders worth R1.6bn by the department of correctional services to Bosasa.

Dressed in an oversized suit and blue shirt, and seemingly unfazed when he arrived at the court, Agrizzi smiled and waved at journalists assembled in packed corridors. The group were granted R20,000 bail each.

The Hawks appealed to people with information about the case, or related cases of corruption and money laundering, to come forward.

“We want to clean the system to make sure that this country must not be seen as corrupt. That is why we say that anyone who has got information, they are more than welcome to approach the NPA... or any law-enforcement agency so we can deal with these matters,” said Mulaudzi.

NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the group was granted bail on condition they forfeit their travel documents. 

“The only condition at this stage is that they hand over their travelling documents to the state, which will simply imply that whenever they need to use such documents, they must do it in writing [and] inform the investigating officer, and then get permission to use such travelling documents. But immediately after use, they must be handed back to the state,” she said.

The case was postponed to March 27.