HSF and FUL heading to court over NPA head
Civil organisations Freedom Under Law (FUL) and the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) are going to court to force President Jacob Zuma to suspend the head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Shaun Abrahams.
Yesterday, the presidency said it never received a letter from the organisations to this effect, after Abrahams withdrew charges against the Finance Minister and two others.
"The letter gives an account of how the NDPP and the prosecutors who dealt with the matter involving the Minister of Finance and others misconducted themselves. The letter concludes by asking the President to confirm, in writing, by no later than 16h00 Monday, 7 November 2016, that the President will provisionally suspended the NDPP, JP Pretorius SC and S Mzinyathi from their office, pending enquiries into their fitness to hold office as contemplated in section 12(6)(a), read with, inter alia, section 14(3) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, 1998 and that the President will forthwith institute such enquiries," the Presidency confirmed.
FUL and HSF says despite due delivery of the letter, the Presidency has seen fit publicly to deny receipt and to ask for another two weeks to respond.
The HSF and FUL says they regard this conduct as unacceptable and have informed the President that the urgent application is being instituted.
Legal representative, Piet Olivier says he doubts the President never received the letter.
"We don't think the President needs any further time to think about this. He's known about the fact that Mr Abrahams is unfit for his position, just like the rest of us have, since the unjustified charges were brought against [Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan]," says Olivier.