Cape Town - Investigative journalist and author of the The President’s Keepers, Jacques Pauw, said he had expected that the SA Revenue Service (Sars) would drop the litigation against him.
Speaking to sister title the Weekend Argus on Friday, Pauw said he and his team had expected the move by Sars and was now hoping the State Security Agency (SSA) would follow suit.
“We always knew that the legal action was malicious and driven by Tom Moyane and Jonas Makwakwa. It was not only malicious but stupid, absolutely stupid on their part,” he said.
Pauw also told the Weekend Argus that “it would have been suicide for Sars if they had continued with the litigation because I had not contravened the act and they were aware of that”.
Pauw further added he knew that “once Moyane and Makwakwa had left Sars,
sanity would prevail, we had however
come to an agreement that each party pays their own legal fees and with that I hope we will part ways in a positive manner.
“I now hope that the sanity also prevails in the SSA and I will have no litigation against me,” he added.
NB Publishers were never served, they had always maintained support for Pauw.
On Friday, it said in a statement: “We are proud to have stood by our author
and the book, which brought to light important information and played a role in breaking up the Zuma cabal that has only its own interests - and not that of the country - at heart.”
In December last year, Sars took Pauw to court saying he had published confidential tax information which was in contravention of the Tax Administration Act.
In what fast became a best seller, Pauw detailed former President Jacob Zuma’s tax affairs which also include a R1million salary he received from Durban businessman Roy Moodley while he was already in office.
He told the African News Agency that he was astounded when he received the notice of motion from Sars.
“It is not an attack on the credibility of the book but is confirmation of the credibility of the book.”