EFF says media and public must let law enforcement to investigate Gordhan
30 November 2018
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called on the public and the media to allow police to investigate allegations it has made against Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The party laid charges of corruption, money laundering and fraud against the minister this week. It alleges that he has a bank account in Canada and that people were instructed to deposit money into it.
In a statement released on Thursday, the EFF said those who defend Gordhan would be exposed as "conflicted stooges and sycophants of a corrupt cabal".
"The EFF has given evidence to the police to corroborate the case we have opened against Pravin Gordhan; and have asked the police to give indemnity to people who were instructed to deposit money into the bank account in Canada. The EFF has further written to the Financial Intelligence Centre, to further assist with the investigations of Pravin Gordhan, his wife, daughter and all relatives.
"The reality is that there are people in South Africa who are willing to come and present further evidence to the police on payments to a Canadian account, and these are citizens that should be protected from victimisation," said the EFF.
However, on Wednesday, News24 reported that there were a number of errors in the EFF's statement to the police, as distributed to the media.
News24, in checking the stated facts in the statement, found that the bank account details given to police by Malema was seemingly wrong or made up.
It also appears Malema fingered the wrong Gordhan in his charges.
It was also established that Gordhan was unable to open a bank account unless he was a Canadian citizen or in the process of applying for residency status with that country's authorities. Gordhan does not hold dual or any other form of citizenship, besides South African citizenship.
On Tuesday, Gordhan laid crimen injuria and criminal defamation charges against Malema and his deputy, Floyd Shivambu.
The EFF said on Thursday that Gordhan must respond to all the parliamentary questions that the party has sent to him.
"There is no amount of media ganging up and distortions that will intimidate the EFF in its pursuit of a corrupt person, who has created a parallel state apparatus and believe that they're untouchable.
"The defenders of Pravin Gordhan's corruption will all be exposed as conflicted stooges and sycophants of a corrupt cabal. The EFF has pursued cases as such and lost, however we will not lose the case against Pravin Gordhan," the party said.
