CAPE TOWN, October 31 (ANA) – Rights groups, Freedom Under Law (FUL) and the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF), on Monday welcomed a decision to drop fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, but criticised National Prosecuting Authority boss Shaun Abrahams for not grasping the scale of the impact his actions have had.
“We are profoundly disappointed that Mr Abrahams still does not understand the enormity of what the Hawks and his staff have done, and is still not frank with the public,†a statement from the two NGO’s said.
“This case has never been about the interpretation of some or other pension regulation; the charges were that our minister of finance and two former heads of SARS were crooks who had committed fraud or stolen over a million Rands of public money. Yet there never was proof of any intention to commit a crime.â€
The two NGO’s last week filed an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court to have the charges against Gordhan, and former SA Revenue Service employees, Oupa Magashula and Ivan Pillay, dropped.
FUL board chairman, Judge Johan Kriegler, said while there was no objective to going ahead with their application, they would sit down with all parties involved before withdrawing the application.
“We certainly have achieved what we set out to achieve. The whole purpose of application was to have the charges withdrawn, but it’s not just that simple. Costs have been incurred. It’s a matter to be discussed between the parties involved,†Kriegler told African News Agency.
Kriegler said Abrahams’ refusal to apologise for a prosecution that had no merit, gave Gordhan, Magashula and Pillay grounds to sue.
“I would have thought Mr Abrahams had an opportunity this [Monday] morning to apologise and make it quite clear that as far as the NPA is concerned it made a mistake, it apologises and that would have made it very difficult for the minister and the other two gentlemen to proceed for damages if they wanted to,†said Kriegler.
“Mr Abrahams couldn’t bring himself to do that [apologise] and of course the minister has a right to sue. Whether or not he will do that is up to him and his legal advisers.â€
– African News Agency (ANA)
