Former prisons boss Mti appears on fraud charges
FORMER Commissioner of Correctional Services, Linda Mti, and three others appeared at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday in connection with charges relating to tenders amounting to over R1.8 billion.
Mti, former Correctional Service chief financial officer Patrick Gillingham, Bosasa Operations Ltd former chief operations officer, Angelo Agrizzi, and the company’s erstwhile chief financial officer, Andries van Tonder appeared on charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, corruption and money laundering.
The matter was postponed to October 16 to set a trial date.
The Investigating Directorate of prosecutors and the legal team of the accused agreed to meet for a pre-trial conference and interlocutory issues before the next court date.
The matter relates to four tenders awarded to Bosasa Operations and its subsidiaries, valued at over R1.8bn, between 2004 and 2007.
It relates to contracts for the rendering of catering and training services, installation of CCTV cameras, installation of perimeter fencing, supply of television systems and monitoring equipment.
All the accused are out on R20000 bail each, and surrendered their passports. Their bail was extended. Head of the Investigating Directorate, advocate Hermione Cronje, said this prosecution dealt with the early days of corruption perpetrated by Bosasa.
“The company and its subsidiaries and affiliates went on to secure in excess of R34bn in government contracts from a range of government departments at all levels, even after the corruption in these four initial tenders was laid bare in 2010.”
The directorate’s investigations into those who enabled the corruption to continue after the initial Special Investigating Unit report were ongoing.
“More arrests in the matter will follow as these investigations draw to a close,” she said.