Former Kebble security boss Clinton Nassif was accused of lying in the South Gauteng High Court on Monday morning, day six of the murder trial of mining magnate Brett Kebble.

Laurance Hodes, defence counsel for drug dealer and murder-accused Glenn Agliotti, told Nassif that he had “absolute contempt for this court”, after putting to him that he told three different versions relating to the shooting of former Allan Gray chief investment officer, Stephen Mildenhall, in Cape Town in 2005.

Hodes claimed that Nassif changed his statement after realising that fellow conspirators in the shooting — boxer Mikey Schultz, bouncer Nigel McGurk and Faizel “Kappie” Smith — had given a different version to his.

“On the one hand you want the court to believe that [John] Stratton [Kebble’s business partner] gave you a knife from his kitchen draw, and wanted you to kill Mildenhall there and then. But in your 204 [indemnity] statement, you say he wanted you to ‘send some guys to shut him up’. Which is the truth? … You are trying to dovetail your versions with the other three.”

Nassif is in the witness box for the third day, and is the sixth witness in the trial.

Agliotti has pleaded not guilty to four charges — the murder of Kebble and conspiracy to murder Kebble, the attempted murder of Mildenhall, and conspiracy to murder Mildenhall and mining bosses Danie Nortier, Mark Bristow and Mark Wellesley-Wood.

Nassif’s cross examination continues after tea.

The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, supported by M&G Media and the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, produced this story.www.amabhungane.co.za.