Former Bosasa Chief Operating Officer Angelo Agrizzi plans to appeal a Gauteng High Court ruling requiring him to pay R1.66 billion, related to corruption tied to government contracts awarded to his former employer.
Agrizzi argues that the amount represents the total value of contracts awarded to Bosasa by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), rather than funds he personally received. In a statement following the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) announcement on 2 November, he clarified that his appeal would focus on the amount stated in the confiscation order, not on his criminal conviction.
“I do not dispute my conviction. I pleaded guilty and testified before the Zondo Commission. The appeal concerns one question: how much money I actually received,” he said.
On 29 October, Judge Mosopa of the Gauteng High Court ordered Agrizzi to pay R1,666,582,825.73, plus interest until the full amount is paid, alongside the costs of the proceedings, including fees for two lawyers. This ruling stems from an NPA application under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, which enables the state to recover benefits gained from unlawful activities.
The court found that Agrizzi benefited from Bosasa’s corrupt dealings and rejected his claim that he was not accountable for the company’s broader illegal proceeds. The NPA contends that Bosasa and its subsidiaries secured government contracts through bribing officials, with Agrizzi as the chief operating officer.
The judgement valued Agrizzi’s illegal activities at R1.66 billion, while his personal criminal gains were estimated at R7.118 million, based largely on his admissions during the Zondo Commission.
Agrizzi disputes this calculation, asserting that the confiscation order surpasses the benefits he personally received. He stated that he was an employee, not an owner or director of Bosasa, and that contract payments were directed to the company, not to him.
The confiscation proceedings are distinct from Agrizzi’s criminal case, where he entered a plea agreement with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption in November 2025. He pleaded guilty to three counts of corruption and one of money laundering for his involvement with corrupt former senior DCS officials.
Agrizzi received a ten-year prison sentence for each count, suspended for five years, contingent on ongoing cooperation with investigators and testimony in related prosecutions. He claims to have continued providing information to investigators while expressing concerns over delays in prosecuting others implicated in the commission’s findings.
He also alleged that evidence he submitted had been damaged and questioned why politically connected individuals identified by the commission had not faced prosecution. He remarked that other former Bosasa executives implicated in the investigation still work in companies that took over Bosasa’s operations, arguing he has become a primary target of financial recovery despite his cooperation.
“I support the recovery of the proceeds of crime. I simply ask that the confiscation order reflects what I actually received, as required by law,” he stated.
