Former ANC MP Vincent Smith was granted a postponement in his corruption case after he informed the court of his intention to appoint a new legal team.
Vincent Smith corruption case postponed
Smith, whose assets, valued at an estimated R46 million, were seized and handed over to a court-appointed curator, appeared briefly at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, on Tuesday.
According to a statement released by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shortly after proceedings had concluded, both parties were granted an extension to allow Smith time to “appoint new lawyers as well as for the State to disclose the final indictment.”
The matter has since been rescheduled to Tuesday 2 November 2021.
What charges is Smith facing?
The former ANC MP is one of the few casualties of the State Capture Inquiry (SCI). Following testimonies from former Chief Operations Officer of Bosasa (now operating as African Global Operations) Angelo Agrizzi, corruption charges were levelled against the whistleblower and Smith for their alleged participation in defrauding the public purse through shoddy and underhanded deals the Gavin Watson-founded company entered into with various government departments.
“Smith faces charges of corruption for the alleged gratifications he received from Bosasa in the form of security upgrades to his Gauteng home and for accepting cash transferred into his personal bank account via the bank account of his company, Euroblitz,” the NPA confirmed.
Moreover, the former ANC MP faces charges for failing to disclose his personal interests in his shoddy business relationship with Bosasa to Parliament.
This is particularly important because Smith chaired the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services at the time Bosasa scored contracts amounting to more than R1 billion from the department.
According to evidence submitted by the Investigating Directorate (ID), Smith was allegedly placed inside the parliamentary committee as a figurehead of the billion-rand scam.
“He used Euro Blitz 48 (Pty) Ltd as a money-laundering vehicle to receive proceeds of those unlawful activities on his behalf and conceal the nature and ownership of the proceeds,” head of ID Hermione Cronje revealed in a statement released in February 2021.
Smith also faces charges of tax fraud and evasion for payment receipts not declared to the South African Revenue Services (SARS).