Angelo Agrizzi ordered to pay State R1.66 billion over Bosasa corruption

Former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi has been ordered to pay the State more than R1.66 billion in proceeds linked to corruption, following a Gauteng High Court judgment.

The court ordered Agrizzi to pay R1,666,582,825.73, plus interest calculated from 29 October 2026 until the amount is paid in full.

The judgment was delivered by Judge Mosopa in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria. Agrizzi was also ordered to cover the legal costs of the proceedings, including the costs of two counsel.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the ruling, describing it as an important step towards recovering money linked to corruption.

Agrizzi’s Bosasa corruption conviction

According to NPA spokesperson Kaize Kganyago, the confiscation order follows Agrizzi’s conviction and sentence on 6 November 2025.

Agrizzi entered into a plea and sentence agreement in which he pleaded guilty to three counts of corruption and one count of money laundering arising from his role at Bosasa.

He became a central figure in the State Capture Inquiry after testifying before the Zondo Commission in 2019. His testimony detailed alleged corruption involving Bosasa, senior politicians and public officials.

The confiscation proceedings were handled separately from the criminal case. Kganyago said the matter was heard in a separate inquiry on 30 July 2026, as confiscation had not been determined as part of the original plea agreement.

The inquiry focused on the financial benefits Agrizzi derived from his offences and related criminal activities.

Court rejects Agrizzi’s attempt to limit the amount

The NPA said the judgment recorded admissions describing an entrenched system of corruption allegedly used to secure and maintain government contracts.

Agrizzi was personally involved in preparing cash bundles used for bribes, according to the admissions referenced in the judgment.

The State argued that his participation in the broader criminal enterprise meant the proceeds attributed to him should not be restricted to individual payments identified in the criminal charges or amounts he personally retained.

Kganyago said the court accepted the central argument that Agrizzi’s involvement in Bosasa’s unlawful activities and the benefits derived from them could not be separated in the way he had proposed.

The court also found that Agrizzi had failed to make full and frank disclosure of his financial affairs and had concealed property, including assets abroad.

It was not satisfied that the amount that could be realised from his assets was lower than the value of the proceeds attributed to him. As a result, it declined to limit the confiscation order on that basis.

R1.66 billion has not yet been recovered

The NPA emphasised that a confiscation order does not mean the State has already recovered the full amount.

Instead, the judgment creates a legal obligation for Agrizzi to pay the amount determined by the court. The actual recovery will depend on the assets available and the enforcement process.

The court directed that the fees of curator bonis Johan Engelbrecht, of Icon Insolvency Practitioners, be paid from money derived from Agrizzi’s realisable property and paid to the State.

Agrizzi was also ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings, including those associated with employing two counsel on Scale C.

NPA says corruption must carry financial consequences

National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andy Mothibi welcomed the judgment as an important step towards financial accountability in corruption cases linked to Bosasa.

The NPA said the ruling reinforces the principle that criminal justice must extend beyond convictions and sentences to include efforts to recover the financial benefits derived from crime.

It added that confiscation serves a different purpose from criminal sentencing: depriving offenders of the proceeds of unlawful conduct.

The authority said it remains committed to pursuing people who profit from corruption and recovering the proceeds of crime where permitted by the law and supported by the evidence.

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Source: IOL