The 71-year-old Gaston Savoi was sentenced to a fine of R5 million or ten years imprisonment after pleading guilty on four counts of fraud and six counts of corruption that were committed in the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in 2004 to 2007.
This sentence was handed down on 5 September in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, 14 years after Savoi and Fernando Praderi, some of their Intaka companies and employees, as well as officials and ANC politicians in the Northern Cape and KZN were charged with fraud, money laundering and racketeering.
These two Uruguayan businessmen appeared without their former co-accused on 3 September in the High Court in Kimberley where some of the cases were withdrawn and some transferred from Kimberley to Pietermaritzburg.
Savoi, who used to live in Cape Town, landed in Kimberley from South America to sit alongside Praderi in the dock.
Some of the charges and cases were withdrawn against certain co-accused earlier, including Praderi.
One of their former Northern Cape co-accused was John Block, erstwhile provincial ANC leader who was found guilty of corruption in an unrelated case and released on parole last year.
Bringing an end to drawn-out matter
In its statement, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, spokesperson of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), said Savoi pleaded guilty in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg to four counts of fraud and six counts of corruption that were committed in the Northern Cape and KZN from 2004 to 2007.
“The matter was concluded by way of plea and sentence agreement in terms of Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
“Savoi was sentenced to a fine of R5 million or ten years imprisonment, and a further ten years imprisonment which has been suspended for five years.
“Importantly, the court also made a confiscation order of R60 million in favour of the state. The court further ordered that Savoi pays a sum of R15 million as a contribution to the costs arising from the curatorship in the Asset Forfeiture Restraint Application proceedings.”
Ramkisson-Kara says the plea and sentence agreement was used by the NPA to bring an end to this drawn-out matter which has been delayed due to numerous interlocutory applications by the accused over the years.
“It also considered the time lapse in concluding this matter and the fact that several key witnesses have since retired from their posts within the respective departments. The plea and sentence agreement were supervised by the presiding judge.
“The charges relate to the provision of water purification units (Watakas) and self-generating oxygen units (Oxyntakas) which were provided by Intaka Holdings (a company owned by Savoi) at inflated prices to the Department of Health in the Northern Cape and the Department of Local Government, Housing and Traditional Affairs in KZN. This cost the government over R100 million.
In 2022, following a separation of trials, Savoi’s co-accused Dumisani Sipho Derrick Shabalala was convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) to the tune of over R1 million. He was sentenced to an effective 15 years imprisonment.
The NPA believes that this guilty plea agreement is the most effective way of bringing this longstanding and serious matter to conclusion.
The sentences handed down are appropriate and the accused’s agreement to cooperate with the State will enhance further efforts to ensure accountability for related criminal acts linked to this case.
