Questions were raised about the national director of public prosecutions’ fitness to hold office after he withdrew a summons against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and two former South African Revenue Service (SARS) officials on Monday. Shaun Abrahams withdrew summonses against former SARS commissioner Oupa Magashula and former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay less than a month after he announced he was confident charges against them would stick. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) filed charges of fraud against the three after SARS approved Pillay’s early retirement and rehired him on a contract basis. But it withdrew those charges before Wednesday’s court appearance, saying the prosecution had no reasonable chance of success. More than R50bn in value was wiped off the market after the rand tumbled when the NPA announced the charges in October. There are also threats that such political and legal attacks on a key institution such as the Treasury could result in a ratings downg...
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