Businessman, Roux Shabangu has claimed that he was offered R50-million by former public works minister, Geoff Doidge to walk away from the R500 million police building lease debacle.
The Sunday Independent reports that Shabangu made the claim in an affidavit, filed at the North Gauteng High Court last week, in a bid to save the lease contract, and said he refused to abandon the lease.
The newspaper says he blames Doidge and the department of public works for jeopardising a R220 million financing deal with Nedbank to buy the building.
The lease, worth R500 million, was cancelled, after Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela found that it was awarded without being put out to tender, and that the behaviour of police chief Bheki Cele and Doidge's successor, Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, was irregular and unlawful.
Shabangu's affidavit claims that suspended public works director-general, Siviwe Dongwana told Nedbank that the department would go ahead with the deal, irrespective of the outcome of investigations by Madonsela and the Special Investigating Unit.
