Pravin Gordhan during a board meeting with South African Airways (SAA) on September 09, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has finally issued legal papers in response to the Guptas’ claim that he had a political motive to file an affidavit that stated he could not intervene in the four major banks closing their bank accounts with Oakbay.
Suspicious transactions, in which hundreds of millions were moved, were flagged by the banks last year. This was in contravention of banking regulations and flagged as such by the respective banks.
Gordhan then filed an explosive affidavit in which he detailed the different transactions that were suspected to be money laundering.
READ MORE: Five key facts from Gordhan’s damning Gupta affidavit
READ: Gordhan’s explosive Gupta affidavit in full
Oakbay issued a statement that Gordhan’s affidavit was flawed.
“The minister’s reliance on the list of 72 purported ‘suspicious transaction reports’ is misplaced and the Minister’s application is supported by a flawed analysis and a faulty factual record. Oakbay has never suggested that the Minister is required to intervene in the bank-customer relationship. There is no contested legal issue here, and there is never any reason for the Minister to bring this application,” the company said in a statement.
READ Gordhan’s response HERE.