Joburg businessman’s Agliotti deal up in smoke

Convicted drug dealer Glenn Agliotti and his former wife Lelani are being accused by a Joburg businessman of refusing to pay back almost half a million rand they duped him into investing in their “cigarette company”.

Jacques Britz Nell is making the accusations in combined summons he obtained in the Joburg High Court against the Agliottis and their company Parchment Trading 22 (Pty) Ltd last week.

Nell is pleading with the court to grant him an order to force the company and the Agliottis, who are currently residing in Mauritius, to pay him back the money.

He has also given the two, who reportedly filed divorce papers about two years ago so that they could prevent SARS from having access to all their assets, 10 days to indicate whether they will defend the matter.

In the combined summons, which are in our possession, Nell said he met the Agliottis on the island on or about 26 June 2019, where they entered into a contract to invest R400 000 for him in Parchment Trading.

The company, according to the papers, was supposed to invest the money in Pacific Cigarette Company. Parchment Trading was expected to pay back the capital amount to Nell together with 30% interests within eight weeks after the initial investment.

Nell, reveal the papers, had the option to renew the investment after the eight weeks or to completely disinvest the funds from the company.

He said when he later discovered that the money was not invested in their cigarette company, he accused the Agliottis of lying to him and demanded that they pay him back, with interest.

Nell also accuses the Agliottis of using Parchment Trading as a conduit to misappropriate its corporate security. He said his lawyers wrote a letter to them demanding that they pay back R396 898 capital amount he invested and R70 000 interests it accrued.

He said notwithstanding demands, the Agliottis and their company failed to pay back the money.