Nine armed guards watch Angelo Agrizzi at private hospital

Angelo Agrizzi appears at the Commercial crimes court sitting at Palm Ridge. Picture:Timothy Bernard/African News Agency(ANA)

Angelo Agrizzi appears at the Commercial crimes court sitting at Palm Ridge. Picture:Timothy Bernard/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Oct 24, 2020

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Durban - Corruption accused former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi has nine armed guards watching over him in the ICU of a Joburg private hospital after suffering a heart attack this week.

Yesterday his lawyer, Daniel Witz, said Agrizzi was confined to his bed by a leg cuff despite that he was breathing through a ventilator, connected to a drip and undergoing dialysis.

“There’s about nine armed guards, including three stationed physically in his intensive care room, for whatever reason, we’re not certain why.

“He’s also restrained to the bed by his legs. The man is sedated, he’s on a ventilator which is down his throat, he’s on dialysis, he’s on drips. I’m not really sure where they think he’s going to go,” said Witz.

With Agrizzi’s bail application appeal hearing set for Monday at the Johannesburg High Court, Witz said they would now argue that Agrizzi had not only been treated in an inhumane way as a person fighting for his life but that this was completely not conducive to his medical treatment.

At his first bail hearing which was denied last week, Agrizzi appeared before the court in a seemingly frail state with a small oxygen tank.

Agrizzi was deemed a flight risk by magistrate Philip Venter after an argument by the State that he had not disclosed that he had moved millions into offshore bank accounts in Italy.

Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the security details revealed around Agrizzi being remanded in hospital had been a breach of security protocols.

“When remand detainees are then transferred to outside healthcare facilities they remain inmates and they remain remand detainees hence then we still have to look after them.”

He added that the department consulted with doctors and if they said the constraining measures were harmful to the patient, they would comply.

Political Bureau

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