According to Pauw‚ Mazzotti said in an affidavit to Sars on May 6 2014 that while discussing Carnilinx’s tax bill‚ reportedly worth about R600-million‚ that he was a “duly authorised representative of Carnilinx”.

Mazzotti described in the affidavit how Sars officials were bribed and spoke of fraud‚ money laundering‚ tobacco smuggling and tax evasion.

"I accept‚ and so does Carnilinx and all its directors‚ that this was unlawful and morally wrong… The cash received was utilised to pay the people referred to and the balance was retained by the three of us in equal proportions.

"I point out‚ however‚ that a substantial amount of this money was used by the three of us as company expenses‚ engaging in expensive dinners‚ entertaining business people‚ politicians and other people‚” read the affidavit.

According to Pauw‚ the “three of us” were Mazzotti‚ Kyle Phillips and their fellow director Mohammadh Sayed.

"I am sure‚ Mr Malema‚ that you might not be fully aware of what had transpired at Carnilinx‚ but it does beg the question whether Mazzotti‚ Phillips and Sayed entertained you with their proceeds of crime? It is also possible that it was from these proceeds that Mazzotti paid R200‚000 to the EFF to register for the 2014 elections‚” said Pauw.

Mazzotti proposed in the affidavit they plead guilty but‚ according to Pauw‚ nothing came of it.

"Not long after Mazzotti had made his affidavit‚ Johann van Loggerenberg [a former Sars official] was suspended after [being] wrongly accused of running a ‘rogue unit’. Ivan Pillay [former Sars commissioner] departed Sars in early 2015‚” said Pauw.

Pauw said when Tom Moyane became Sars commissioner in October 2014‚ the Carnilinx tax bill had “simply disappeared”.

Pauw asked Mazzotti‚ prior to the publication of his book‚ if he was tax compliant. The answer was yes.

“It begs the question: how did it happen? And what was the role of Makwakwa and Moyane in making them compliant?”