/ 9 November 2009

Court told of Selebi’s foreign-currency transactions

Former police national commissioner Jackie Selebi earned more than R143 000 from selling foreign currency between 2003 and 2006, but the state says there is no paper trail to prove who gave him the bulk of these dollars and euros.

Forensic auditor Dean Friedman from KPMG was giving evidence on Monday.

Friedman testified about the Spring Lights account that was allegedly used to channel funds from slain mining magnate Brett Kebble to Selebi, and about a lifestyle audit that was done of Selebi’s finances.

On Monday afternoon, Friedman testified about Selebi’s subsistence and travel (S&T) slips that were provided by the police. It shows Selebi and his wife, Ann, receiving thousands in foreign currency for official trips abroad.

However, the police couldn’t account for the majority of the R143 193,37 Selebi coined from selling foreign currency. This suggests Selebi had another source of money.

”[Jackie and Ann Selebi] sold more currency than what was there after the expenses had been accounted for,” Friedman testified.

Selebi’s former friend and drug dealer Glenn Agliotti earlier told the court that he paid Selebi three tranches of $10 000 each, which was paid to him [Agliotti] by Zimbabwean businessman Billy Rautenbach.

Agliotti allegedly told Rautenbach he would secure Selebi’s assistance to fix his [Rautenbach’s] legal problems in South Africa. Rautenbach was sought for tax offences.

Selebi, Agliotti claims, didn’t assist him in getting Rautenbach’s South African arrest warrant withdrawn, but did inform him and Rautenbach’s lawyer that no international arrest warrant with Rautenbach’s name on it was issued.