Corruption Watch says the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) failure to prosecute self-confessed cigarette smuggler Adriano Mazzotti demonstrates inequality under the law.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) failure to prosecute self-confessed cigarette smuggler Adriano Mazzotti, despite his admissions of serious crimes, shows that the law is not being applied equally and signals institutional decay.
Corruption Watch said it is concerned that this sends a message to other players that confession followed by settlement is a viable exit strategy from criminal liability.
This comes after anti-crime advocacy campaign Tax Justice SA called on the NPA to explain why Mazzotti never faced criminal prosecution despite confessing to tobacco smuggling, tax evasion, unlawful surveillance and attempts to corrupt officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
The call came after the Madlanga Commission’s evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim revealed that Mazzotti, co-founder and chief executive of Carnilinx Tobacco Company, signed a confidential affidavit in May 2014 detailing serious crimes. This affidavit formed part of his engagements and a subsequent tax settlement with SARS.
