Makwakwa On Paid Leave As Investigation Drags On

MPs have questioned why the investigation into the Sars second-in-command is taking so long.
The Cape Town headquarters of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is seen in this picture taken March 1, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
The Cape Town headquarters of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is seen in this picture taken March 1, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Mike Hutchings / Reuters

The second-in-command at Sars, Jonas Makwakwa, has reportedly been on paid leave for the past nine months following his suspension, pending the outcome of an investigation into suspicious amounts paid into his bank account, News24 reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, MPs of Parliament's standing committee on finance heard that while Sars was not ready to report back on the matter, it had received an interim report conducted by law firm Hogan Lovells.

Makwakwa was suspended in September 2016 after allegations surfaced that he made suspicious deposits totalling R1,2 million into various bank accounts, between 2010 and 2016.

According to News24, more than R450,000 was deposited into the account of his girlfriend.

MPs gave Sars until August to report back on the issue to Parliament.

"Mr Makwakwa may be as innocent as Mother Theresa or Mahatma Ghandi, but we need the matter to be concluded," committee chairperson, Yunus Carrim reportedly said.

But Alf Lees, DA MP told News24 that it seemed like Sars was deliberately stalling the issue. He questioned why Sars did not want to make the results of the interim report known.

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