Bosasa employees Vorster and Bonafacio to appear in court for facilitating R180 000 bribe

Johannesburg – Two former Bosasa officials will appear in court on Thursday for their alleged role in facilitating a R180 000 bribe to a Department of Correctional Services official who sat on the bid adjudication committee.

The two officials, Frans Vorster and Carlos Bonafacio, face charges of corruption, while Bonafacio faces an additional charge of money laundering.

In its indictment against the accused, the NPA’s Investigating Directorate said the two would appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for acting in common purpose with former Bosasa chief executive officer, Angelo Agrizzi and for facilitating a R180 000 bribe to Patrick O’Connell Gillingham, who was employed by the Department of Correctional Services and who sat on the bid adjudication committee which awarded lucrative government contracts to Bosasa.

The NPA’s Investigative Directorate said R180 000 was paid to a car dealership in Constantia Kloof, Roodepoort, in April 2007, as a deposit, for the benefit of Gillingham who had purchased a Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI, valued at R550 000.

The NPA’s Investigative Directorate alleges the gratification was made in order for Gillingham to act in a manner that was illegal, dishonest, and biased in carrying out his duties.

“Gillingham colluded with Bosasa (Pty) Ltd and Mr Angelo Agrizzi and other employees of Bosasa Group, to draft or compile the bid specifications which were used as part of the invitation to bid for tenders, HK2/2004, HK2/2005, HK24/2005 and HK25/2005, resulting in the Bosasa Group being advantaged over other potential bidders and being awarded the said tenders since they had knowledge of the bid specifications before the said tenders were advertised,” the NPA’s Investigative Directorate said in the indictment.

In Bonafacio’s money laundering charge, it is alleged he facilitated the payment of the gratification with a R180 000 payment from Bosasa’s FNB bank account, to Agrizzi’s FNB bank account.

“In turn, Agrizzi transferred the same amount of R180 000 to the accused’s FNB bank account number.

“On the same day, April 11, 2007, the accused issued a cheque from the said FNB account payable to himself (CJ Bonafacio) in the amount of R180 000 and deposited the said cheque into his Nedbank Current account number.

“The accused (Bonafacio) then instructed Nedbank to transfer the said amount of R180 000 to the Nedbank account number belonging to Sandown Motor Holdings, with reference, “GILLINGHAM”, as part payment towards the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI for the benefit of Mr Patrick O’Connell Gillingham,” they said.

The NPA Investigating Directorate said the movement of money was aimed at concealing the nature and the source of the money, which was an alleged act of fraud, they said.

Meanwhile, in another Bosasa-related fraud and corruption case, the R1.8bn case against former prisons boss Linda Mti, Gillingham, the former chief financial officer for the correctional services department, former Bosasa chief financial officer Andries van Tonder and Agrizzi, is expected to be postponed at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.

The case relates to the award of four tenders to Bosasa between August 2004 and 2008.

The tenders were for catering and training services, installation of CCTV cameras, installing of perimeter fencing, the supply of television systems and monitoring equipment.

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Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:09:55 GMTSihle Mlambo

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