South Africa
Mixed reactions to NPA decision─── 11:38 Mon, 10 Feb 2020
There have been mixed reactions from political parties to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi’s decision to drop all charges against former SARS deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay and his former colleagues.
Batohi announced her decision on Friday, citing a lack of reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution.
Pillay, Andries Janse van Rensburg and Johan van Loggerenberg, faced various charges including setting up the illegal so-called SARS rogue unit to spy on taxpayers.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) shadow Justice Minister Glynnis Breytenbach, who herself is a seasoned prosecutor, says this should not be the end of the case.
“What has happened here is that Pillay, Van Loggerenberg and Van Rensburg were persecuted by certain elements with the prosecuting authority deciding to place the matter on the roll and then drag it out for years, thereby impoverishing these three men; submitting them to public and private humiliation, destroying their families and their family lives. There must be consequences for that kind of thing.”
