Court allows fraud-accused Savoi to travel

2011-10-20 17:09

Pietermaritzburg - The Pietermaritzburg Regional Court has given Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi permission to travel to Germany, despite his bail conditions.

Magistrate Chris van Vuuren gave Savoi the go-ahead on Thursday morning, after declaring he was not a flight risk.

This meant Savoi would be able attend a global pharmaceutical fair in Frankfurt later this month, and travel to Argentina and Brazil.

He is charged alongside a string of political and business figures from KwaZulu-Natal with corruption, fraud and money laundering.

These relate to the sale of water purification plants to the KwaZulu-Natal health department, allegedly at inflated prices.

He was previously granted R200 000 bail.

At an earlier court appearance State prosecutor Nomvula Mokhatla argued that Savoi could escape if presented with the opportunity.

Van Vuuren said the State had failed to produce compelling evidence that the interests of justice and society would not be served in granting Savoi permission to travel.

Savoi was scheduled to return to South Africa by November 13.

- SAPA