National director of public prosecutions Shaun Abrahams will have to explain to Parliament his decision to charge and later drop fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Abrahams will appear before Parliament’s portfolio committee on justice and correctional services to which the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) accounts tomorrow morning.
The committee has called for an urgent briefing by the NPA boss, specifically on the withdrawal of charges against Gordhan.
“We believe that it would be appropriate for us to receive a briefing on this matter as soon as possible,” said committee chairperson Mathole Motshekga (ANC).
ANC sources have told City Press that this was an example of the party’s new-found zeal to hold the state and its agencies to account.
Spokesperson for the ANC in Parliament Moloto Mothapo said the party supported the decision of the committee to call the NPA head and his team to appear before Parliament and account about “this worrisome handling of the matter of Pravin Gordhan and his former colleagues”.
“Given the implications of the drawn-out pursuit of Comrade Pravin on our economy and the nation; as well as on the NPA integrity as an institution, it is only appropriate that the agency comes before Parliament to enlighten the public on the whole matter,” said Mothapo.
The NPA withdrew charges of fraud against Gordhan [a former South African Revenue Service commissioner] and another former Sars boss Oupa Magashula and former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay this past Monday.
Announcing the decision to drop the charges, Abrahams said he was satisfied that the former Sars senior employees did not have the requisite intention to act unlawfully.
“In the circumstances, I have decided to overturn the decision to prosecute...”
On October 11, Abrahams announced during a press conference that the trio had been summoned to court on fraud charges relating to Pillay’s early retirement, approved by Gordhan and Magashula.