A criminal justice expert believes that the R426m allocated to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to beef up its capacity to prosecute matters referred to it by the state capture commission shows the government's seriousness in bringing state capture culprits to book.
Head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, Gareth Newham, said the money was sufficient to allow the NPA's Investigative Directorate to pursue matters referred by the commission.
“The amount that's been allocated to the Investigative Directorate is a very clear sign that they are taking this seriously. R426m is not a small amount of money, it's worth half the amount spent on the commission so far,” Newham said.
He said the funds would make it possible for the Investigative Directorate to ensure that resources are acquired and that there's strong capacity to deal with matters that have emanated from the commission.
“I think this is a very good sign and an important investment. The people who were involved in state capture have damaged our country beyond imagine,” Newham said.
A senior National Treasury official has described the conduct of the Guptas and other companies who looted public funds as “treason”, and says the government will stop at nothing to ensure their imprisonment.
National Treasury deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat told a pre-budget briefing that finance minister Enoch Godongwana had given him “full rights” to engage foreign governments and other international law enforcement bodies to ensure that criminal charges against the Guptas and management consultancy firms, such as Bain & Company, were instituted.
Bain last year repaid more than R160m, with interest, in dodgy management fees it had earned from the SA Revenue Service at the height of state capture, during which it played a role in the weakening of the tax institution.
“The minister has given me full rights and we'll do anything and everything to get them in jail ... There's talks with outside authorities,” said Momoniat. “They [Bain] can't just get away with a payment; they've got to pay for their criminal intentions. What they committed, I think it's treason.”
The R462m allocation — of which R262m is from reprioritisation — will provide for the permanent appointment of 68 staff in the Financial Intelligence Centre and an estimated 90 staff in the Investigative Directorate.
An amount of R34.4m is reprioritised to Legal Aid SA over the medium-term expenditure framework period to capacitate the six newly established specialised commercial crimes courts in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape.
'State serious about bringing state capture culprits to book'
A criminal justice expert believes that the R426m allocated to the NPA to beef up its capacity to prosecute matters referred to it by the state capture commission shows the government's seriousness in bringing state capture culprits to book
Image: Fani Mahuntsi
A criminal justice expert believes that the R426m allocated to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to beef up its capacity to prosecute matters referred to it by the state capture commission shows the government's seriousness in bringing state capture culprits to book.
Head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, Gareth Newham, said the money was sufficient to allow the NPA's Investigative Directorate to pursue matters referred by the commission.
“The amount that's been allocated to the Investigative Directorate is a very clear sign that they are taking this seriously. R426m is not a small amount of money, it's worth half the amount spent on the commission so far,” Newham said.
He said the funds would make it possible for the Investigative Directorate to ensure that resources are acquired and that there's strong capacity to deal with matters that have emanated from the commission.
“I think this is a very good sign and an important investment. The people who were involved in state capture have damaged our country beyond imagine,” Newham said.
A senior National Treasury official has described the conduct of the Guptas and other companies who looted public funds as “treason”, and says the government will stop at nothing to ensure their imprisonment.
National Treasury deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat told a pre-budget briefing that finance minister Enoch Godongwana had given him “full rights” to engage foreign governments and other international law enforcement bodies to ensure that criminal charges against the Guptas and management consultancy firms, such as Bain & Company, were instituted.
Bain last year repaid more than R160m, with interest, in dodgy management fees it had earned from the SA Revenue Service at the height of state capture, during which it played a role in the weakening of the tax institution.
“The minister has given me full rights and we'll do anything and everything to get them in jail ... There's talks with outside authorities,” said Momoniat. “They [Bain] can't just get away with a payment; they've got to pay for their criminal intentions. What they committed, I think it's treason.”
The R462m allocation — of which R262m is from reprioritisation — will provide for the permanent appointment of 68 staff in the Financial Intelligence Centre and an estimated 90 staff in the Investigative Directorate.
An amount of R34.4m is reprioritised to Legal Aid SA over the medium-term expenditure framework period to capacitate the six newly established specialised commercial crimes courts in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape.
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