Cape Town – Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Friday, through his lawyers, rejected an invitation by National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams to make representations regarding the fraud charges against him.
The law firm Gildenhuys Malatji said Gordhan had taken advice not to do so, firstly because he does not trust that Abrahams will grant him a fair hearing.
“Minister Gordhan has taken legal advice on the matter and decided not to make representations to the NDPP. The main reason for his decision is that he does not have any confidence in the NDPP’s ability or willingness to afford him a fair hearing.”
Gordhan’s lawyers said this was in part because they had repeatedly asked the National Prosecuting Authority to allow the minister to make representations in the past, but he was never the granted the opportunity.
Abrahams’ statement this week that he was ready to do so came a day after summons was served on Gordhan to appear in court on fraud charges on November 2. The charges relate to the retirement package and extension of contract granted to former senior South African Revenue Service official Ivan Pillay.
“Second, the NDPP’s conduct at his press conference announcing the decision to charge the minister made clear his commitment to the prosecution,” Gildenhuys Malatji added.
“Third, having now had an opportunity to study the charges against the minister, it is also clear to us that they manifest a resolute and not well founded determination to prosecute the minister at all costs. Any representations to the NDPP would accordingly be pointless.”
The firm said the trusted finance minister, who this week vowed not to resign, was continuing to take legal advice on how to bring the matter to “an expedited finality”.
It noted that his legal team included highly respected senior counsel Wim Trengove.
Earlier on Friday, Gordhan again dismissed his prosecution as “political mischief”, and said he was preparing to deliver the medium term budget policy statement in Parliament on October 26.
The minister has questioned the timing of the decision to charge him, noting wryly that it was the second time that a long-running probe into alleged wrongdoing at the South African Revenue Service during his term as commissioner intensified ahead of a budget speech.
African News Agency