Parliament welcomes high-profile arrests as Agrizzi arrives at court

Parliament on Wednesday welcomed the arrests of former Bosasa executive Angelo Agrizzi and several other high-profile company and government officials linked to the awarding of dodgy tenders.

The high-profile suspects have been linked to the alleged corrupt awarding of tenders worth R1.6bn by the department of correctional services to Bosasa.

Former top prison bosses and Agrizzi are among those the Hawks have linked to the alleged corruption. They were set to appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court later on Wednesday.

Hawks spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that the suspects were contacted on Tuesday by detectives from the serious economic offences unit.

"They were arrested Wednesday morning after they surrendered to the Hawks officers," he said.

Court papers indicate that the suspects include Agrizzi, former correctional services commissioner Linda Mti and former correctional services CFO Patrick Gillingham.

Parliament’s police portfolio committee welcomed the arrests. Chairperson Francois Beukman said the arrests were an indication of the new Hawks leadership's commitment to deal with allegations related to organised commercial crime and corruption.

"The Hawks investigators should be commended for their hard work and commitment to the rule of law," Beukman said.