New summons for ex-Sars’ execs ‘will go nowhere’

Freedom Under Law (FUL) derided the summons served yesterday on former South African Revenue Service (Sars) senior staffers and said the latest move by the authorities would not go anywhere.

Last week, former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay, former head of the high risk investigation unit Johann van Loggerenberg and Andries Janse van Rensburg announced that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) served them with summonses relating to a report by auditors KPMG regarding a rogue spy unit in the revenue service.

FUL said it was convinced that the charges were “as groundless as those in 2016 and will suffer the same fate”.

It added: “FUL notes with concern that, although Pillay and Loggerenberg have throughout been able and willing to cooperate, these brand-new charges have been presented without any inquiry, forewarning or opportunity to make representations.”

“This is in such contrast to the courtesies accorded to others that there is every reason to question the motive behind these renewed allegations.”

When the allegations of the “rogue spy unit” surfaced, it was widely believed it was being used in a bid to get rid of former Sars commissioner Pravin Gordhan and those members of the revenue service loyal to him.

Gordhan was fired from his job as finance minister by former president Jacob Zuma in March last year, after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) tried to prosecute him on charges related to Pillay being given early retirement.

This case was withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.

KPMG’s “rogue unit” report was called into question, leading to the auditing firm canning the report and apologising to Gordhan.

FUL said it would write to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging him to consider suspending NPA boss Shaun Abrahams and senior managers, priority crimes litigation unit head Dr Torie Pretorius and advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi.