Guptas and Martins try to frustrate inquiry
Deputy minister Ben Martins and the Guptas want to engage with the state capture committee ‘on their own terms’
Attempts by the Guptas and Deputy Public Enterprises Minister Ben Martins to dictate to Parliament the terms of their engagement with the inquiry into state capture were met by a wall of resistance from MPs on Wednesday. Both Martins and the Guptas want to engage with the committee on their own terms — the former via written submissions and the latter on the basis of questions that they have received in advance. In this way they would avoid being grilled by the evidence leader of the inquiry, Ntuthuzelo Vanara, and MPs and would be able to consider their replies with the assistance of lawyers without the risk of being taken off guard by unexpected questions. Members of the portfolio committee on public enterprises were having none of it and decided to subpoena Martins and reject the Guptas’ suggested method of engagement. In a letter to committee chairwoman Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe, Martins said he was sending a written submission to respond to the allegations made against him by susp...
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