National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Shaun Abrahams and Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza were at loggerheads over Abrahams’s decision to drop fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, court papers reveal. Abrahams was widely criticised after he announced in October that Gordhan would be charged with fraud, sending the rand into free fall. The announcement just weeks later that the charges had been withdrawn led to calls for Abrahams’ resignation and a court case for his suspension. The court papers — filed on Tuesday by Abrahams in the High Court in Pretoria — also revealed that President Jacob Zuma had written to Abrahams and senior prosecutors Torie Pretorius SC and Sibongile Mzinyathi, asking why they should not be suspended, pending inquiries into whether they were fit for the offices they hold. Zuma recently sent similar letters to two other senior prosecutors — deputy national director Nomgcobo Jiba and head of the specialised commercial crimes unit, Lawrence Mrwe...
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