Former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi is preparing to challenge a R1.66 billion confiscation order granted against him, arguing that the amount represents the value of government contracts awarded to Bosasa rather than money he personally received.

In a statement released on Monday, November 2, Agrizzi said he intended to apply for leave to appeal against the judgment delivered by Judge Mosopa in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria on October 29.

The court ordered him to pay R1,666,582,825.73 to the State, together with interest from the date of judgment until the amount is paid in full.

Agrizzi said he respected the court’s decision but believed the central issue of how much money he personally benefited from his criminal activities had not been properly addressed.

He stressed that he was not challenging his conviction, saying he had pleaded guilty and testified before the Zondo Commission into State Capture.

“My appeal concerns one question: how much money I actually received,” he said.

Agrizzi argued that the R1.66 billion figure was the total value of contracts awarded to Bosasa by the Department of Correctional Services and not money paid directly to him.

He said he was employed as Bosasa’s chief operating officer and was neither a director nor a shareholder of the company.

According to Agrizzi, the State’s own heads of argument described the amount as the value of contracts awarded to Bosasa.

He further argued that the Prevention of Organised Crime Act limits confiscation orders to the value of a defendant’s own proceeds from criminal activities.

To support his argument, Agrizzi pointed to figures presented by the State during the confiscation proceedings.

He said the State valued the offences for which he was convicted at R1,433,386.85, while the known value of his criminal activities was calculated at R7,118,000.

He also referred to the curator’s assessment of his entire realisable property, which was valued at R26,751,796.47.

Agrizzi argued that the R1.66 billion order was significantly higher than these amounts, questioning how he could be expected to pay money he said he had never personally received.

He acknowledged that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had clarified that the order did not mean the State had already recovered the full amount.

The NPA previously welcomed the judgment, describing it as an important step towards ensuring that people who benefit from corruption face financial consequences.

NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the authority remained committed to pursuing the proceeds of crime.

The confiscation order followed Agrizzi’s conviction and sentence on November 6, 2025, after he entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the State.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of corruption and one count of money laundering arising from his involvement in Bosasa’s operations.

The confiscation proceedings were dealt with separately during an enquiry on July 30, 2026, focusing on the financial benefits derived from his offences and related criminal activities.

The court accepted the State’s argument that Agrizzi’s participation in Bosasa’s unlawful activities justified attributing the proceeds of the broader criminal enterprise to him, rather than limiting the enquiry to amounts he personally retained.

The court also found that he had failed to make full and frank disclosure of his financial affairs and had concealed property, including assets abroad.

However, Agrizzi disputed the allegations concerning his Italian property, saying the State had been aware of it and had previously held it as security for his bail.

He said the High Court ordered on August 7, 2024, that the property be replaced by R1.5 million held for the benefit of the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

He added that an Italian investigation into the funds had been closed in 2022.

Beyond the confiscation order, Agrizzi raised concerns about what he described as the lack of progress in prosecuting other individuals implicated in the Bosasa corruption scandal.

He said his November 2025 plea agreement was based on his full and continuing cooperation with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), including assisting the State in prosecuting others.

Agrizzi maintained that he had prepared detailed evidence and testified in proceedings against other individuals.

He also claimed to have written extensively to the Justice Minister, IDAC and the National Director of Public Prosecutions since 2024, raising concerns about delays in investigations and asking whether Interpol Red Notices had been issued.

According to Agrizzi, he had recently been informed that evidence he had prepared and handed over to investigators had been damaged.

He further questioned why several politically connected individuals identified in the Zondo Commission’s recommendations had not faced criminal charges.

“The politically connected escape accountability, while the person who came forward takes the full brunt. The whistleblower has become the scapegoat,” he said.

Agrizzi maintained that he supported the recovery of proceeds of crime but wanted the confiscation order to reflect what he personally received.

The NPA has maintained that confiscation proceedings are an important part of tackling corruption, allowing the State to pursue financial benefits arising from criminal conduct beyond the criminal sentences imposed on convicted individuals.

Agrizzi said he would not comment further on the matter while court proceedings and other pending cases continued.