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Aronstam's June 23 testimony

MR ARONSTAM: Yes.

MR DICKERSON: How then do you explain that that was never put to MR CRONJE by Mr Blumberg who did not challenge that evidence?

MR ARONSTAM: I don't know.

MS BATOHI: Mr Commissioner just to put the record straight, it may not have been put by Mr Blumberg but I think I put that as a result of consultations.

MR DICKERSON: That is so Mr Commissioner and I will come in a moment to what transpired as a result of consultations with Ms Batohi. So the upshot of it then Mr Aronstam is that you have no explanation for what, on the face of it, appears to be a very startling omission on the part of your legal representative to challenge MR CRONJE's evidence that you promised a gift?

MR ARONSTAM: I am not the advocate, the attorney, I don't do the cross-examining. I wouldn't know why it's not discussed.

MR DICKERSON: You have also said that you regarded MR CRONJE as a valuable source of information and that the pitch reports that he could give you were of great importance, was that some revelation that came to you on the night of the fourth day of the Centurion test for the first time?

MR ARONSTAM: Sorry I didn't - I don't understand your question a hundred percent.

MR DICKERSON: Is it testified here that you regarded MR CRONJE, regard MR CRONJE as the source of valuable information ...(intervention)

MR ARONSTAM: Yes.

MR DICKERSON: ...regarding pitches, weather conditions and the like, for which you are prepared to pay substantial sums of money?

MR ARONSTAM: Yes.

MR DICKERSON: What I am asking you is when this occurred to you for the first time, was it a revelation which first dawned on the night of the fourth day of the Centurion test?

MR ARONSTAM: Yes, that night when MR CRONJE said to me how he could make some extra money I said to him the ball is in your court. Pitch reports are very valuable.

MR DICKERSON: So you phoned MR CRONJE out of the blue, you indicate to him that you are a cricket lover, you point out advantages which are offered to his reputation as a captain if he declares. You offer something to charity and you then, all of which is in the context of you seeking to persuade him to do what you want which is to declare.

MR ARONSTAM: It's very different the way you are saying because you are not talking in order. You are not saying what happened in order of my going to visit MR CRONJE.

MR DICKERSON: Really Mr Aronstam does it make any difference whatsoever in what order you said you were a cricket-lover or that his captaincy would be ...(intervention)

MR ARONSTAM: Yes, yes it does make a difference.

MR DICKERSON: How much did you think you could make on a declaration?

MR ARONSTAM: Anywhere between 3 and 500,000 depending on the prices available if I could have got what I wanted to do on South Africa and England, depending on the availability, depending on the market, if there's a big betting market, anywhere, between 3, 4, 500,000.

MR DICKERSON: That's not to use your phrase in the "michael-mouse" league.

MR ARONSTAM: No that's in the A-league.

MR DICKERSON: So you had a very strong motivation from your side to induce MR CRONJE or to persuade him to declare?

MR ARONSTAM: Sure, I didn't go there that night and do it without any hindsight to make some money. I went there with the intention of making some money.

MR DICKERSON: And in order to make that money you deployed very persuasive and inducing device which you could think of to achieve that result so that you, as you put it, could make some money.

MR ARONSTAM: I went there with the intention of making some money and the benefits were to me was to make some money. The benefit would have been to MR CRONJE to increase his image and to see what happened afterwards. The image was created but I didn't make the money. (general laughter)

MR DICKERSON: And you recall the evidence of MR CRONJE that you had wanted to meet him at the hotel because you were uncomfortable talking on the telephone, why was that?

MR ARONSTAM: I had to, for me to go and start to explain to MR CRONJE that I can not get bets on the game now etc from a man who doesn't understand anything about betting, it's much easier to explain face-to-face than talk on the telephone. I have now committed myself to give a donation to charity and I know that it can't happen because I can't get the money on the game, I can't make any money so I have to go and tell him.

MR DICKERSON: Are you now suggesting that it was on the night of the fourth day of the test before he had agreed with the English captain that they would declare that you told him that you couldn't get bets on the game?

MR ARONSTAM: Guaranteed, that's exactly when I told him. When do you think I told him?

MR DICKERSON: I don't think anything Mr Aronstam I wasn't there, I am testing your evidence.

MR ARONSTAM: Between the first phone call to MR CRONJE and the time I saw him roughly plus or minus three hours developed. I made a phone call overseas. There was no betting. What must I do now? I have to tell MR CRONJE, "I need to see you". I don't tell him on the telephone there's no betting. I now go and see him in the hotel. I say to him, "impossible, there is no betting, I can't give the donation to charity". We never discussed it ever again. That was the last time it was ever discussed.

MR DICKERSON: You see what is also interesting Mr Aronstam is what was put by your attorney to MR CRONJE in that regard. You have been very astute in your evidence today to suggest that this donation to charity was conditional and depended on whether you made bets and you told MR CRONJE that, none of that was put to MR CRONJE by your attorney, Mr Blumberg. Do you have any explanation for that?

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