Public Protector ‘met spies twice on Bank’, Absa affidavit reveals
Absa CEO Maria Ramos reveals meetings in a supplementary affidavit in Absa’s bid to set aside some of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s contentious remedial actions
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane met the State Security Agency (SSA) not once, but twice, and discussed the independence of the Reserve Bank before drafting her final report in the Ciex/Bankorp saga, despite her denials. Absa CEO Maria Ramos says this in the supplementary affidavit in Absa’s bid to set aside some of the remedial actions in the report, filed in court on Thursday. Mkhwebane has directed the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to reopen an investigation into Absa and recover an illegal R1.1bn apartheid-era lifeboat granted to Bankorp, which Absa acquired in 1992. Ramos’s affidavit includes a previously undisclosed note of a June 6 2017 meeting between Mkhwebane and the SSA, along with an unidentified economist, in which the independence of the Bank was discussed. The operations of the Bank had to be "aligned with social responsibility", the new notes show. These notes follow ones disclosed on Monday by the Bank’s general counsel, Johannes de Jager, which showed Mkhweba...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.