In his cross-examination of detective and fraud specialist at the South African Police Service (Saps), Catherina ‘Arina’ Oosthuizen, in the Bloemfontein High Court, Bakili’s legal counsel, Masilo Koenane, referred the detective to the loan agreement between Maleba Trading and Services and Bakili worth millions, as well as the two agreements between the estranged business partners directly. Collectively, the agreements amounted to more than R6 million. 

Koenane asked Oosthuizen if this deal was irregular or illegal, to which she responded that the contact on its own is legal, but when based off of the transactions that were made, the inverse becomes true.

Koenane further questioned Oosthuizen on the reasoning behind saying the movement of money between the account registered to Bakili Trading and Bakili’s personal account constituted money laundering. He maintains Bakili did not attempt to disguise the source of the money but merely shifted it.

Parts of Oosthuizen’s testimony coincided with that of the auditor at Middel & Partners, Andre Dames, who revealed the then CityMed Managing Director paid more than R6 million from a company partly owned by CityMed to Bakili without his fellow shareholders’  knowledge or approval.

Earlier in the day, Oosthuizen said Bakili placed bets - mostly in cash - at the Windmill Casino to the tune of R 5 238 220 between January 2017 and June 2018. She says this money was obtained or extorted from Siemens.

Oosthuizen says she could not find “a regular income in accused one’s First National Bank (FNB) account” other than the money transferred into said account by Siemens via his three personal accounts and Maleba Trading’s account.  

Siemens was the previous sole director at Maleba and owned 51% of the medical equipment service provider.  It was revealed during this time, that Bakili’s bank statements did not reflect him receiving a regular salary or a rental income.

As already reported Siemens was shot and killed on 10 May 2018 in the basement parking area of Preller Square Shopping Complex. It is alleged the deceased was paying bribes to government officials through Bakili to have City Med’s hospital bed licence amended to allow for more beds, when the business partnership soured. So far in the four-week trial, Free State Health MEC Benny Malakoane, former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, current Head of the Provincial Health Department, David Motau, and member of the provincial department’s licensing committee, Charity ‘Pinky’ Belot, have testified they did not receive any bribes from Bakili or Siemens.

Bakili joins Molebatsi Mogoera, Kagiso Chabane, Mojalefa Jali Molusi, Moeketsi Lesia, Clive Tshivenga Karabo Tau and Sizwe Mpati in the dock. They are between the ages of 29 and 56, and include three police officers, a disbarred advocate, an accused in separate double murder cases, and a military man.

OFM News