Drug dealer Glenn Agliotti and former fiancée Dianne Muller conspired to fabricate evidence that would incriminate former police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi in corruption, the South Gauteng High Court heard on Wednesday.
Selebi’s defence counsel, Jaap Cilliers, said that Muller, whom the state had called a “remarkable witness”, changed her evidence so that it matched with Agliotti’s, even though it contradicted their initial evidence. Although both Agliotti and Muller initially said that Agliotti handed over an envelope containing R120 000 to Selebi at Agliotti’s office in Midrand in December 2004, Muller then testified that while Agliotti had given her R120 000 in cash, she had removed R10 000 and left R110 000.
Cilliers inferred that she had changed her evidence so that it would match cheques drawn against the company Spring Lights, allegedly set-up by Agliotti and Brett Kebble to pay Selebi from.
“Agliotti and Dianne Muller conspired and discussed the situation, and Muller came up with new evidence to try an explain Agliotti’s version of the R110 000,” said Cilliers.
Cilliers went on to shred Agliotti’s credibility as a witness, and the fact that the state relied on his sole testimony for several payments that he alleged to have made to Selebi between 2005 and 2007.
For example, on a R5 000 cheque that was made out to “COP”, Agliotti initially stated that “COP” meant Selebi. But the author of the cheque, Muller’s father Martin Flint, said that the cheque had been out to a retired policeman who had been in an accident.
“The state knew that the cheque was for a retired policeman, but they led him otherwise,” Cilliers said. “This shows you what type of a man Agliotti is. He would grab anything. He knew he must incriminate the accused. He would accept any assistance.”