SARS deputy director opens case of kidnapping: report
Times Media reports that South African Revenue Service ( SARS) deputy director of law Vlok Symington has opened a case of kidnapping with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
“I can confirm that we’ve opened a case of kidnapping. It was registered late yesterday [Wednesday]. It has been assigned to an investigator‚” said Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini.
It emerged on Wednesday that a senior SARS employee, Vlok Symington, had been asked last week to answer questions by the Hawks about a legal opinion he had previously written to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on his deputy Ivan Pillay’s retirement.
The Mail & Guardian reported that Symington was mistakenly given an email which had allegedly been sent by SARS’s lawyers to SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane.
The Hawks and Moyane’s bodyguard allegedly held Symington against his will at SARS headquarters on October 18 in order to get the email back.
The NPA confirmed on Thursday that it was still investigating a case against Gordhan, former SARS commissioner Oupa Magashula and Pillay over the details surrounding Pillay’s retirement.
Gordhan said he has not received a formal report about an alleged “hostage” incident at SARS headquarters, but said that, if true, it is unacceptable behaviour.
Gordhan appeared before a joint appropriation’s committee meeting in Parliament on Thursday to account for his mid-term budget speech this week.
Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier didn’t shy away from asking the question about the alleged incident on October 18, despite objections from African National Congress MPs that it was not relevant to the budget.
Gordhan said it was an open democracy and defended Maynier’s right to ask the question.
“I heard whispers about it, to be frank. I have no formal report yet,” he told the committee.
“I believe there has been something on the wires, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it. If this is true, it’s unacceptable behaviour. It’s totally unacceptable behaviour,” Gordhan said.
“But let’s get the facts first and we’ll take it from there.”
Gordhan said he would ask Moyane for an explanation when he got the chance.
With News24
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