Former MP Vincent Smith granted last postponement to resolve legal fee issues

FORMER ANC member of Parliament Vincent Smith has been granted a last postponement to sort out his legal fee challenges.

On Tuesday, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, postponed Smith’s corruption case to July 30, to allow him time to pay his legal fees.

Judge Mohamed Ismail ordered that the postponement was final as the matter had been postponed on numerous occasions. He ordered that a trial date be decided on in July.

The former ANC MP is facing charges of tax fraud, money laundering, corruption and breach of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act. He is accused of contravening section 7 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004.

Investigating Directorate spokesperson Henry Mamothame said that in the two charges, Smith was charged together with the former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi, and their matter had to be separated because of Agrizzi’s ill health.

“Smith is facing corruption charges in his personal capacity, as well as in his capacity as a sole director and shareholder of Euroblitz 48. His fraud charges emanate from his failure to disclose to the Registrar of parliamentary members’ interest, the gratification that he received from Bosasa, pursuant to the alleged corrupt activities with which he, Euroblitz 48 and Agrizzi are charged for. He further failed to disclose the taxable income of Euroblitz between March 2009 and July 2018, allegedly totalling R28 million,” Mamothame said.

The former MP’s bail was extended, with the court warning him to avail himself at the next court sitting on July 30.

Smith also faces charges for having allegedly accepted cash transferred into his and Euroblitz 48’s bank accounts from a facilities management company, with strings of government contracts, as well as other entities and individuals unknown to the State.

During the course of the trial, the State alleged that the payments were made to Smith in order to facilitate his approval and not opposition to Bosasa during parliamentary committee meetings.

The Star