Cape Town - The infamous Cape gangster group The American$ is allegedly tied to the investigation into Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, according to a media report.
Gordhan was formally summoned on Tuesday by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for fraud, related to the early retirement of Ivan Pillay, the former deputy commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars). Pillay and former Sars commissioner Oupa Magashula were also served with summonses.
The NPA’s announcement on Tuesday has rattled the rand, which sank over 3% to the US dollar.
However, it added that there is an ongoing investigation into the so-called rogue unit at Sars.
This unit, named the Sars High Risk Investigations Unit (SHRI), was established, when Gordhan was the commissioner of Sars. Gordhan has emphasised that, as far as he is aware, the unit was established and carried out its work within the framework of the law.
The Citizen, in an exclusive report on Tuesday, said part of the investigation into the SHRI relates to an allegation that a member of the elite team reportedly leaked a recording of the NPA to the American$.
The recording in question, the publication reported, was about NPA officials discussing a case involving the gang leader and his gang members, in which it also revealed the names of witnesses testifying against the gang.
The Citizen went on to state that it is alleged that the witnesses named were killed by The American$ or attempts were made to silence them. It added that it was unable to obtain comment from Gordhan's office to find out if he is in the know about the allegations or if they are indeed true.
Following the announcement by the NPA, Gordhan said an official statement will be released by his lawyers regarding the summons, which has been issued 15 days before the mini budget.
FULL CHARGE SHEET: Pravin Gordhan accused of fraud
Gordhan, speaking in Midrand, said: “South Africans must ask who the Hawks are really serving?”
He questioned where the Hawks are getting their instructions from, and said he expects to be handed a summons to be in court on November 2.
Gordhan said he received a phone call from his family that someone had come to his house to issue the summons this morning.
“These people know who my lawyers are and they know to make arrangements with them for me to receive summons.”
He added that it is hard to focus on growing state revenue when the management of Sars is concerned about “non-existent rogue units”.
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