Drug-dealer Glenn Agliotti testified on Monday afternoon that the former top cop and corruption accused Jackie Selebi asked him whether he was the ”landlord” referred to in media reports.
Agliotti was responding to questions by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who was re-examining Agliotti after Selebi’s counsel Jaap Cilliers finished cross-examination on Monday morning.
The Scorpions used the pseudonym ”the landlord” in their Operation Bad Guys investigation into drug dealing, money laundering and corruption when referring to the syndicate’s alleged kingpin.
Although it’s never been stated clearly by the state, speculation has always been that Agliotti was ”the landlord”.
According to Agliotti, Selebi asked him whether he was ”the landlord” referred to in media reports.
”I obviously said to him: ‘No’. He asked whether I was owning the building [where drug-accused Steve Paparas allegedly warehoused his drugs]. That was his [Selebi’s] interpretation of the landlord.”
Agliotti insisted that he was not ”the landlord”, that according to him referred to an ”international drug dealer”.
”I was not the big international drug dealer. My participation in the Paparas matter was just as much as [security boss Clint] Nassif’s, yet he didn’t receive all the [media] exposure I did.”
Agliotti earlier explained to court that his advocate, Laurence Hodes, explained to him that his understanding of corruption was incorrect.
Asked to explain his understanding of corruption, Agliotti said: ”If I give you money, I expect something in return, something like a tender that’s gonna help or benefit me. That’s what I call bribery.”
Hodes, however, told him ”whatever the amount, big or small, being assisted in any way, constitutes bribery”.