Gordhan snubs Hawks date
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan says that he is under no legal obligation to present himself to the Hawks on Thursday, and as such, will give it a skip.
According to a statement issued by Treasury on Wednesday, Gordhan said he received legal council and subsequently decided not to present himself to the Hawks as instructed by letter sent to him earlier in the week.
Gordhan said that he was advised “in no uncertain terms” by the head of Hawks, General Ntlemeza, that he was not a suspect in the Hawks’ investigation into SARS, and added that he had provided a “comprehensive account” of matters raised by the unit in May 2016.
The minister also confirmed that the letter sent to him and other SARS officials this week was to summon the former officials to retrieve a ‘warning statement’ – a precursor to official charges.
He said that his legal team has advised him that any assertions of law made by the Hawks in the letter sent to him are unfounded.
These matters included alleged contraventions of the National Strategic Intelligence Act, as well as the Public Finance Management Act.
“I therefore do not intend to present myself for a warning statement for many considerations – both legal, and given my other commitments,” Gordhan said.
“I remain committed to assist the Hawks in any bonafide investigation as stated in my statement. I have a job to do in a difficult environment and serve South Africa as best I can. Let me do my job,” he said.
Controversy around the Hawks investigation into Gordhan has been a point of contention for much of 2016, with unease and confusion around what it is exactly that the unit wants from the minister causing chaos in the economy.
After markets responded negatively to reports that the minister faced imminent arrest in May, the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority joined in saying that Gordhan was not being investigated and was facing no charges.
Following Tuesday’s revelation that Gordhan would, in fact, be facing charges, the rand tanked almost 3%, with it weakening even further on Wednesday. Just over 24 hours after the news broke, the rand had declined 5.4%, hitting R14.21 to the dollar by 17h30.
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