South African former executive on Monday told a corruption probe that his old company had paid monthly bribes for years to a minister who served under scandal-tainted ex-president Jacob Zuma.
Angelo Agrizzi, ex-chief operating officer of the Bosasa contracting company, has given days of bombshell testimony to a judicial commission probing allegations of government corruption under Zuma.
Agrizzi said he was responsible for counting and packing 50,000 rand (USD 3,600) in cash, which was to be delivered each month to Nomvula Mokonyane.
The practice continued from 2002 until 2016 when Agrizzi left the company, he said.
Mokonyane, who is currently environmental affairs minister, served as Zuma's minister of water and sanitation between 2014 and 2018, and was earlier a provincial minister.
"We knew she was close to former president Zuma," Agrizzi, dressed in a dark-grey pin-stripped suit, told the inquiry.
"She was going to speak to him (Zuma) and another person to have any charges against Bosasa dropped, if there were any." "She was the link person for us. We knew that if we had any issues, we could go to her and they would be sorted."
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