Criminal charges to follow Gupta leaks

THE DA is expected to lay criminal charges against three cabinet ministers on the back of further indications of executive wrongdoing emerging from the so-called Gupta leaks, chief whip John Steenhuisen said yesterday.

They are former Communications Minister Faith Muthambi, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown and Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen.

The charges against Van Rooyen relate to his brief stint as finance minister in late 2015, and allegations that during those few days his advisers sent National Treasury documents to the Gupta family.

The DA are expected to file a complaint with police against Muthambi over reports that she sent the Guptas a presidential proclamation outlining her ministerial powers, as well as confidential information on cabinet meetings.

In the case of the embattled Brown, the DA’s charges are expected to follow suggestions in the leaked e-mails of Gupta associates that they and the family had ready access to confidential memoranda in which the department expressed unease over the joint venture between the state arms manufacturer and VR Laser Asia.

The company is headed by Salim Essa, a regular associate of the Guptas, who has also been fingered in reports purporting to show that Transnet’s acquisition of Chinese-made locomotives massively benefited the family.

Steenhuisen said the DA would also bring charges against Denel chairman Daniel Mantsha for allegedly forwarding confidential e-mails between the company and the State Security Agency to the Gupta family.