Parliament – Parliament’s portfolio committee on justice on Wednesday called on National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shaun Abrahams to brief it on the withdrawal of charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The proposal to summon Abrahams came from the chairman of the committee, African National Congress (ANC) veteran Mathole Motshekga who told members it would be “appropriate” to hear from Abrahams, who announced the decision to can the charges on Monday.
Democratic Alliance (DA) justice spokeswoman and committee member Glynnis Breytenbach said it was resolved to ask Abrahams to address the committee on Friday but there was no confirmation yet that he would do so.
Meanwhile non-governmental organisations, Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation said on Wednesday that they have sent a letter to President Jacob Zuma urging him to suspend Abrahams and Dr JP Pretorius SC and Sibongile Mzinyathi, pending enquiries into their fitness to hold office.
Earlier this month, the rand took a knock as the NPA announced that it had issued a formal summons against Gordhan,and two former Sars officials Oupa Magashula and Ivan Pillay over the approval of Pillay’s early retirement with full benefits and subsequent five year contract. The announcement came amid the ongoing, politically-charged investigation into an intelligence unit within the South African Revenue Service.
Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation said that the NPA, with Abrahams’s support, brought baseless criminal charges against Gordhan, Pillay and Magashula, which showed that he lacked the required conscientiousness and integrity to be entrusted with the responsibilities of the office of the NDPP.
“Mr Abrahams does not believe that he has done anything wrong. He is mistaken. We have thus urged the president to hold him, and his colleagues, accountable.”
The letter to President Zuma described Abrahams admission that he did not apply his mind or see supporting documents as “reckless in the extreme”.
Gordhan, Magashula and Pillay were due to appear in the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday, November 2, but the charges were withdrawn.
African News Agency