Guptas’ suspicious transactions must be investigated by the Hawks
16 October 2016
The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has pushed the “red button” and escalated the dirty war between himself and President Jacob Zuma’s most important clients, the Guptas.
The application for declaratory relief, relating to the Minister’s powers in respect of the closure of private bank accounts, is a major escalation because the court papers reveal:
- that the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago, has serious reservations about the inter-ministerial task team on the closure of bank accounts, which he warns could be viewed as political interference and could pose a risk to financial stability; and
- a large number of suspicious transactions, including a transaction involving VR Laser Asia, and a transaction, relating to the purchase of the Optimum Coal Mine.