Hawks close docket on Madonsela
THE HAWKS have told Public Protector Thuli Madonsela not to panic amid fears she could be arrested by the priority crimes unit.
This followed questions sent to her by the Hawks earlier this year. After the threat of arrest faced by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the unit sending the docket to the National Prosecuting Authority, Madonsela expressed her fears of arrest by the Hawks.
Gordhan has been dogged by threats of arrest since the beginning of the year after he was sent 27 questions by the Hawks four days before his budget speech.
He has denied any wrongdoing in the so-called “rogue spy unit” at Sars and the NPA was now looking into the docket. Gordhan refused to present himself to the Hawks last Thursday after former senior Sars officials Ivan Pillay and Johan van Loggerenberg were handed warning statements.
A warning statement is a precursor to someone being arrested. Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said yesterday there was no need for Madonsela to worry about being arrested.He said the unit was not investigating her and the questions were sent a long time ago.
“We said there was no investigation then, there is no investigation now. There was no basis for the investigation and the docket was closed,” said Mulaudzi.
Madonsela’s spokesman Oupa Segalwe could not comment on the matter as Madonsela was out of the country.
The Hawks and Gordhan have been in a protracted battle over the last few months.
Gordhan has accused the Hawks of being dishonest after its head Lt-Gen. Berning Ntlemeza earlier assured him he was not being investigated and wouldn’t face arrest. Gordhan refused to present himself to the Hawks as, he said, there was no legal basis to do so.
The unit has come under fire from civil society for seemingly attacking the finance minister. Opposition parties have also questioned the timing of the case against Gordhan.
Last week, the minister called on the Hawks to stop distracting him from doing his job at the National Treasury.
Madonsela said she had every reason to worry about an arrest because of the existing climate.