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| Selebi payments were friendly - Agliotti |
| October 16 2009 at 02:22PM |
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Convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti stood firm in his conviction that payments made to former top cop Jackie Selebi were innocent gestures of generosity, the High Court in Johannesburg heard of Friday. "As in all the other incidents of making payments, these payments were not given on the basis that the accused would act in any way upon that... "You don't make all the other payments on the basis that the accused should act as a result thereof to do anything or to refrain from doing anything." Agliotti, wearing a striped black and white tie, agreed with this. Cilliers also revealed a specific incident where Agliotti gave money "in a purely welfare context" to a policeman -- referred to as Mr Bezuidenhout -- who had been involved in a car accident. "I assisted him in a small way because I felt sorry for him," Agliotti explained. However, it emerged in court, that Selebi denied one act of apparent generosity on Agliotti's side. Cilliers told the court that according to his client Agliotti never brought shoes for Thabo Mbeki -- an incident Agliotti previously detailed as taking place at the Aigner shop in Sandton. "He denies that you in fact brought it or were present when he brought it," said Cilliers. However, Agliotti denied this saying: "In going through my accounts there was a size seven Xenga shoe." Previously the court heard Mbeki wore a size seven because his feet were "small but wide". One of Mbeki's former deputy ministers, Aziz Pahad, was spotted in the public gallery during proceedings. Cilliers also pointed out that a payment for US30,000 he gave Selebi which was apparently a fee from Billy Rautenbach - at the time a fugitive for tax fraud - was only given two years after Agliotti spoke to Selebi about the matter. Cilliers claimed this was after Selebi already told him he could do nothing for the ex-Hyundai boss. "As a friend I gave him the money," Agliotti said. At one point Judge Meyer Joffe warned Agliotti that he could possibly incriminate himself by saying all payments to Selebi were innocent. "[You are saying] these payments are made in a proper manner and you agree, it could be found they are made in an improper manner, these [answers] could incriminate you." He gave Agliotti the option of consulting his legal team but Cilliers then changed the direction of his questions. Agliotti also testified that he had approached then Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka about ex-Hyundai boss Billy Rautenbach's tax issues. Agliotti first approached Selebi about the matter but turned to Ncguka after Selebi told him Rautenbach would have to return to the country to make legal representations to the SA Revenue Service himself. He said nothing came of his approach to Ngcuka. "In fact he said there was nothing he could do and it was too much of a sensitive issue." Previously Agliotti testified that Selebi, the then Interpol head, did at some stage get information for Rautenbach on whether an international arrest warrant had been issued against him. Both Selebi and Agliotti have accused Ngcuka of hatching a plot against the former cop. Agliotti has made a deal with the state to receive indemnity from prosecution on various charges if he testifies "frankly and honestly". By the end of the second week, Agliotti as the first witness was still the only one to have taken the stand. On Friday he admitted this was taking its toll. "I've been here for eight or nine days and it gets rather tiring. I'm not making excuses but it gets rather difficult." During a break, Agliotti told the prosecutors his young child never saw him anymore. "Every night on TV he says, 'There's daddy. There's daddy'. It's the only time he sees me." The trial will resume on Tuesday. Defence lawyer Jaap Cilliers indicated the cross-examination of Agliotti is nearly complete. Agliotti then faces re-examination by the State. Selebi is facing two counts of corruption and defeating the ends of justice related to payments of at least R1,2-million he allegedly received from Agliotti, Rautenbach and slain mining magnate Brett Kebble. - Sapa
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