Officials from three of South Africa\u2019s largest banks told an official inquiry into the looting of taxpayer funds this week that they faced intense political pressure to continue providing services to businesses that belonged to a family close to former president Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n
Standard Bank Group Ltd, FirstRand Ltd and Absa Group Ltd shut the accounts of companies controlled by the Guptas in 2016, citing laws against dealing with clients suspected of being party to suspicious transactions.<\/p>\n
Senior ruling party and government officials then summoned the lenders\u2019 executives to explain their actions. The businesses of the three Gupta brothers, who\u2019ve left the country, have ceased operations, while the governing African National Congress forced Zuma to quit in February.<\/p>\n
The judicial probe was ordered by Thuli Madonsela, the nation\u2019s former anti-graft ombudsman, in 2016 after her own investigation indicated that the Guptas used their close relationship with Zuma to exercise undue influence over state contracts, appointments and decisions.<\/p>\n
They all deny wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the main points to emerge from the bank officials\u2019 testimony:<\/p>\n
Ian Sinton, Standard Bank\u2019s former group general counsel:<\/strong><\/p>\n Mosebenzi Zwane, who served as Zuma\u2019s mineral resources minister, told Sinton and Standard Bank chief executive officer Sim Tshabalala that the government was concerned the bank\u2019s actions could result in job losses and warned that as a member of the ANC, he could get the law changed to make account closures illegal.<\/p>\n A cabinet minister suggested to the lender it prioritize the needs of the Gupta companies\u2019 7,500 employees over its obligation to comply with the law.<\/p>\n The ANC\u2019s then-secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, now the nation\u2019s mines minister, his deputy, Jessie Duarte, and Enoch Godongwana, the ANC\u2019s head of economic transformation, also voiced concerns about job losses and questioned if the account closures couldn\u2019t be reversed.<\/p>\n The party officials asked Standard Bank if it was serving the interests of \u201cwhite monopoly capital\u201d and frustrating black businesses.<\/p>\n Yasmin Masithela, Absa\u2019s head of compliance<\/strong><\/p>\n Absa was also invited to a meeting with Mantashe, Duarte and Godongwana. Its chief executive officer Maria Ramos agreed to attend but refused to discuss any details about the bank\u2019s clients.<\/p>\n Absa denied allegations that it colluded with other banks, saying it didn\u2019t discuss information about any of its clients with any third party.<\/p>\n The lender declined two invitations from a cabinet committee, headed by Zwane, to provide clarity on media reports about the account closures because it didn\u2019t receive an adequate response to its request for information on the nature and status of the meetings and the attendees.<\/p>\n Johan Burger, FirstRand\u2019s former chief executive officer<\/strong><\/p>\n Godongwana asked Burger for a meeting, but never responded to a request for information on the agenda. The encounter was later canceled. Burger said it was the first time in his 32 years as a banker that he\u2019d received requests from a political party requesting information about a bank-client relationship.<\/p>\n Burger said he declined a request to meet members of a group led by Zwane because he couldn\u2019t get details on what would be discussed or who would attend.<\/p>\n
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