Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has recommended that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) consider pursuing charges against Tony Gupta for allegedly attempting to bride former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas.
The much-anticipated fourth part of the State Capture Commission’s report was released by the Presidency on Friday morning, 29 April 2022, focusing on the saga within National Treasury and Eskom.
Jonas has testified that the Gupta brother had wanted him to replace Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister in 2015 and essentially follow the family’s instructions once at the helm. Jonas claims he had been offered hundreds of millions of rands for this.
“It is recommended that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should give consideration to instituting criminal charges against Mr Rajesh Tony Gupta for bribery/corruption arising out of his conduct in offering Mr Mcebisi Jonas millions of Rands if he agreed to be Minister of Finance and to work with the Gupta family”
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo
CJ Raymond Zondo further says that former president Jacob Zuma and the Guptas attempted to capture National Treasury but failed, something he says the country should be grateful for.
“It is almost a miracle that National Treasury was saved from the tentacles of the Guptas! I shudder to think what would have happened to this country if President Zuma was not forced to move Mr Des Van Rooyen and his advisors out of the National Treasury and if Mr Van Rooyen and his advisors had been allowed to continue in National Treasury,” Zondo says in the report.
Van Rooyen (Des Van Rooyen) was appointed finance minister in 2015 by Zuma – but after four days, he was forced to remove him when the South African economy lost a reported R500 billion following the unexpected axing of Nene. Zuma then announced that Van Rooyen would be switching portfolios with Pravin Gordhan, who was the minister of Cooperative Governance (Cogta). Van Rooyen remained in cabinet until he was replaced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018.