‘Look after my friend Agliotti’

JOHANNESBURG – Corruption-accused former police chief Jackie Selebi told a police reservist to look after his friend Glenn Agliotti, after a hijacking at a Sandton complex, court heard on yesterday.

Taking the witness stand in the South Gauteng High Court was Superintendent Aubrey Morris Shlugman, a police reservist for 25 years.Shlugman testified that in the later part of August 2005 he responded to a police radio call about an apparent armed robbery at an upmarket apartment complex called Westferry in Sandton.He said when he arrived at the scene with his colleague, they found a double hijacking had taken place. Selebi on phone to AgliottiWhile conducting the paperwork in the complainants’ apartment, a then unknown woman and man, whom Shlugman said he later identified as Agliotti, entered the room.He said Agliotti was making a call on his cellphone at the time.’He [Agliotti] then tapped me on the shoulder and said the police commissioner would like to speak to you. I was a bit taken back, after all these years of service.’Shlugman said he asked Agliotti which commissioner was on the line.’He said the national commissioner.’Shlugman said he took the phone and introduced himself.’I recognised the voice as the accused before court. He asked me to give him a rundown as to what transpired. I briefed the accused and I was told that ‘he is a good friend of mine, please look after him’.Call from AgliottiShlugman said three weeks later, on a Sunday night just before 22:00, he received a call from Agliotti.Agliotti told him that ‘he cannot get hold of Jackie Selebi. That his cellphone was on voicemail and that there was a problem with the Westferry complex’.Shlugman said he suggested to Agliotti that he call the Sandton police station and gave him with the telephone number.A second witness, senior crime intelligence official Mark Hankal, told the court that 57 calls were made between Agliotti and Selebi over about seven weeks from July 1 to August 20 2004.He said cellphone records showed that 16 calls were made from Selebi to Agliotti and 41 from Agliotti to Selebi.Hankal said an investigation related to Agliotti was being conducted called Operation Chaser.He said the file of this operation was signed out in April 2006 and could not be found.Drug traffickerIn the file was a letter from the United Kingdom customs office asking for information about Agliotti, who it described as ‘a well-known drug-trafficker in the UK’.In 2006, Agliotti was arrested in a drug bust in Alberton. He was convicted on drug trafficking charges and reached an agreement with the State to testify in the Selebi matter.Agliotti testified previously that in July 2006, Selebi showed him a report from the UK customs office.’He [Selebi] wanted to make me aware of the fact that the authorities in the UK were monitoring my movements and he told me so.’I said to him that I had nothing to worry about. It didn’t concern me. He [Selebi] just said that I was being monitored by the authorities… in the UK and I asked him for a copy of the document and he said that I could not have a copy of the document. He then departed,’ Agliotti testified. The UK report detailed Agliotti’s trips to London, his contact details and alleged that he transported significant quantities of cocaine.On Thursday, an order was made prohibiting the media from publishing photographs of Hankal and other crime intelligence officials expected to testify.This was done to prevent the compromising of the integrity of their operations.Selebi is being tried on a count of corruption and another of defeating the ends of justice in connection with at least R1,2m he allegedly received from Agliotti and others in return for favours. – Nampa-Sapa