'Watson instructed me to make several illegal payments'
The commission of inquiry into state capture has heard how Bosasa boss Gavin Watson instructed the company's former auditor, Peet Venter, to make illegal payments.
Venter concluded his testimony on Wednesday and conceded that some of the tasks he was instructed to perform were unlawful.
This is in stark contrast to the day before, when he denied involvement in any illegal activities.
The commission’s chair, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo: "Tell us again what those instances were, that you have personal knowledge of where he gave instructions for illegal payments to be made?"
Venter: "Chair, all the payments I had to make to Mr. Hlaudi Motsoeneng, to the Andile Ramaphosa Foundation, to the Morocco Consultants and where I was asked to hand over a plastic bag to someone."
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He said on top of being requested to give tax advice to former correctional services CFO Patrick Gillingham, who Angelo Agrizzi testified was involved in an R3 billion illegal tender with Bosasa, he was asked to drop of a grey plastic bag to Gillingham on one occasion.
"Mr. Watson just kept on making illegal demands and I just couldn't take it anymore, the last nail in the coffin was when he told me to meet with Mr. Patrick Gillingham and to hand him a parcel containing cash. I knew it was cash because it was wrapped in a bank secured bag. This happened on a Friday in 2017, I had to go to Bosasa offices where, Lindsay Watson, the daughter of Gavin Watson, handed me a parcel.”
He went on to tell the commission that he was only aware of one payment of R500 000 made into the account of the foundation of Andile Ramaphosa, son of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Venter also corroborated some of Agrizzi's testimony, saying at the time the former executive had left the company and was planning to expose Watson's illegal activities.
He was subsequently asked by Bosasa executives Joe Gumede and Papa Leshabane to appear in a Carte Blanche interview to discredit Agrizzi.
According to him, the information he gave in the interview was to expose Agrizzi in the illegal activities of Bosasa and show that he was not clean.