{"id":93182,"date":"2017-11-29T12:37:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T10:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=93182"},"modified":"2018-03-26T21:15:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T20:15:52","slug":"busiswe-mkhwebane-bankorb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/busiswe-mkhwebane-bankorb\/","title":{"rendered":"ABSA-Bankorp Payments: Busiswe Mkhwebane Admits Zuma Influenced Her Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
The controversy between the office of the Public Protector and the alleged\u00a0Bankorp illegal profit from a billion-rand loan seem to be taking a new look at the Public Protector Busiswe Mkhwebane admits that her decision over the matter was influenced by President Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n
In an affidavit submitted to the Pretoria High Court over the weekend, the public Mkhwebane admitted that she asked the President for a\u00a0 judicial inquiry\u00a0into how Bankorp illegally profited from a billion-rand loan.<\/p>\n
Embattled Busiswe Mkhwebane has been in for her report which claims that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) failed to recover the sum of\u00a0R1.125 billion\u00a0made between 1985 and 1995 to Bankorp Limited, which was subsequently bought by Absa Bank.<\/p>\n
Her report also included a remedial action that the Special Investigating Unit should recover more than R1 billion from Absa. Her recommendations received huge criticism even from the Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba who said that she\u00a0failed to conduct a diligent investigation as required by law and the Constitution.<\/p>\n
However, in her new affidavit revealed by SARB, the public Protector mentioned that she met with President Jacob Zuma who influenced her decision\u00a0regarding the CIEX report- a 52-page document, formed in the 1990s, that advises South Africa where it could legally recover funds from.<\/p>\n
Read Also:\u00a0Leaked Gupta Emails: 13 Fast Facts You Need To Know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The document focused on recouping money from the apartheid regime, and their illicit looting of state funds. It also outlined the focus areas to concentrate on. Before ABSA bought them out, Bankorp was targeted as a major resource<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the discussion during our meeting (with Zuma) I became concerned that my draft remedial action to direct the president to establish a judicial commission may face similar difficulties as currently faced in the State of Capture report,\u201d Busiswe Mkhwebane\u00a0 said, citing\u00a0the state capture report as an example of why she was pulling out of a review.<\/p>\n This report, in another way, proves a point on the alleged close ties between the office of the Public Protector and the Presidency. This may as well be a\u00a0 strong proof for the EFF who have earlier alerted that the Public Protector has been captured.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that we have asked our security department to look into because these emails [GuptaLeaks] are too many, we just asked them please you must never miss an email where Busiswe Mkhwebane is exchanging some ideas with these people just to demonstrate that she is captured.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we establish that, the next morning we will be the first one at the door of the court to have her removed,\u201d Malema sometime in June.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the\u00a0South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has slated Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in court papers filed on Monday, saying she was “required to be a check on the abuse of state power, not a vehicle for it”.<\/p>\n In its affidavit, the SARB has accused Mkhwebane of making up new reasons in her\u00a0replying affidavit, filed last week, that details how she arrived at the conclusion that Absa benefitted from a controversial 1980s bailout of Bankorp.<\/p>\n