The former Bosasa COO was responding to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)’s announcement on Tuesday that it would perform its own medical evaluation on him after his appearance on a television show in September coming despite a medical report from his team saying he was not fit for trial.

Agrizzi was due to appear in the Johannesburg specialised commercial court on Tuesday. His case was postponed until December 2 for the medical examination to be conducted.

Speaking to SowetanLIVE sister publication TimesLIVE via text on Tuesday evening‚ Agrizzi said he had not at any stage refused to be medically examined.

“We have always tendered our‚ especially my‚ personal assistance and availability to be subjected to a medical examination. However‚ the delays [in the case] are most definitely not my side or my legal counsel.

“We have always been available for an evaluation. I will submit to blood tests and drug tests as well as undergo scans‚ etc with one simple proviso that my own doctor‚ or family member is present from a personal safety viewpoint and because of the trauma I had been subjected to‚” Agrizzi said.

His other condition was for the evaluation to be conducted in an open and transparent environment.

Responding to the issue of appearing on a television show despite being too ill to attend court‚ Agrizzi said he had done the interview in a controlled environment with “strict” protocols.

“To insinuate that an hour interview is similar to a court appearance is ludicrous at best and‚ quite simply‚ is merely a simple answer to a greater systemic problem. It is nonsensical.

“On October 14 2020‚ I was robbed of my health by the very people that are entrusted with securing our nation‚ and for what? Quite simply [it] was about what I raised at the Zondo commission. This obviously upset numerous people‚ mostly the guilty ones and people in high political places.

“I didn’t ask to be in ICU on life support systems‚ and quite simply no-one deserves to be put through that for opening up and whistle-blowing on corruption in our beautiful country. Had I not decided to risk all and open up the widespread corruption‚ would the country have been content to allow [Gavin] Watson and the directors [of Bosasa] to carry on with the corruption?” he asked.

He said he had been co-operating with various state entities including the Hawks to assist the country get to the bottom of corruption — “and albeit we were told that our testimony at the Zondo commission in fact was the reason we were arrested”.

TimesLIVE