Prosecutors will struggle to make Gordhan charges stick, say legal experts
Fraud charges laid against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will be hard to prove and the case will fuel suspicion of a plot to oust a man who has defied allies close to President Jacob Zuma, legal experts, analysts and senior politicians say.Gordhan will appear in court on November 2 to hear charges he cost the South African Revenue Service (SARS) R1.1m by approving early retirement for former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay in 2010 and rehiring him as a consultant.A charge sheet, seen by Reuters, says Gordhan "unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud" gave Pillay an early retirement package and a new contract when SARS was under no obligation to do so.But legal experts say it will be difficult to make the charges of fraud stick because the NPA will be required to prove Gordhan intentionally broke the law."I am relieved that I will not be the prosecutor tasked with securing a conviction," constitutional lawyer Pierre De Vos said, rating the NPA’s chances as "highly unlikely"."...
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