
<p>NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; Office equipment for Kenya’s parliament donated by China has gone missing after being loaded onto a shipping container, authorities from both nations said on Thursday.</p>



<p>Like other African nations, Kenya has deepened ties with Beijing, receiving loans, investments and scholarships. But the container of equipment arrived empty this week at its National Assembly, China’s “shocked” embassy said in a statement.</p>



<p>Kenyan police have begun an investigation into the disappearance of the electronic equipment, whose value has not been given, and parliament officials declined to comment.</p>



<p>Kenya has been beset by widespread cases of corruption and theft over the years and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government had been trying to crack down on the problem.</p>



<p>Reporting by John Ndiso and Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne</p>


China’s donation of equipment to this East African country’s parliament goes missing

<p>CAPE TOWN (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s top anti-graft body said it would investigate whether the finance minister breached ethics guidelines over a state pension fund investment, piling pressure on Nhlanhla Nene as he faced questions about his future.</p>
<p>The office of the Public Protector said on Tuesday it would look into a complaint by the main opposition Democratic Alliance party about the investment, carried out when Nene was chairman of the fund and deputy finance minister.</p>
<p>There was no immediate comment from the minister who was due to travel to an International Monetary Fund meeting in Indonesia. He has in the past denied any wrongdoing connected to investments by the Public Investment Corporation fund.</p>
<p>On Monday, the rand initially sank more than one percent on a newspaper report that Nene had asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack him.</p>
<p>Business Day newspaper said the minister made the request after acknowledging in a hearing that he had visited the Gupta family, friends of former leader Jacob Zuma accused of unfairly winning state contracts.</p>
<p>Both Zuma and the Guptas have denied any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Nene, who publicly apologised for not previously reporting the visits to the Gupta brothers, has not made any statements confirming or denying the report by Business Day newspaper.</p>
<p>The president’s spokeswoman told Reuters his office was not aware of any such request from Nene.</p>
<p>Asked repeatedly at a media event in Cape Town whether Nene still enjoyed his confidence and what the future might hold for the finance minister, President Ramaphosa made light of the questions and pretended there was something wrong with his hearing.</p>
<p>“I am hard of hearing. I actually have go to an ear (specialist) &#8230; see you later,” he said.</p>
<p>The rand later recovered some ground on Monday was flat in the morning session on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Nomvelo Chalumbira and Ed Stoddard in Johannesburg; Editing by Andrew Heavens; Writing by James Macharia</p>


South Africa’s finance minister to be investigated by country’s anti-graft body, what you need to know

<p>Media Statement from Bain &amp; Company</p>
<p>In light of new questions being raised during last week’s testimony before the SARS<br />
Commission of Inquiry and from media inquiries, led by our global leadership and external<br />
Counsel, Bain &amp; Company is now undertaking a deep and extensive investigation into all<br />
matters relating to our work with SARS. We want to be absolutely certain that we entered into our SARS engagement in full compliance with applicable procurement laws and that our investigation’s findings are accurate and unassailable.</p>
<p>We want to be completely open and transparent, as we believe that is what the people of South Africa deserve. However, given the Commission of Inquiry is continuing its investigation we cannot publicly discuss anything that would in any way affect the ongoing work of the Commission.</p>
<p>Bain continues to stand by the value and rigor of its work – not as a point of pride– but out of a sense of mission that our South African associates wanted to bring to that organization. We worked hard because we wanted to help SARS become an even better organization and we believe our work could help to do that.</p>
<p>We have listened with concern to the testimonies of SARS employees who feel they have been mistreated and disrespected, at their frustration and pain and the consequences this has had on the lives of these individuals and their families. We are dismayed by the way our work has been used to further a different agenda than was intended. In our recommendations, there was no need for any lay-offs or terminations. This didn’t turn out to be the reality when the model was implemented. We are deeply sorry for how this turned out – we wish we had known then what we do now.</p>
<p>We contend that this could have been avoided. Through the various Commission testimony, we now know that essential elements of delivering a successful operating model were not<br />
systematically addressed, causing the failure at SARS.</p>
<p>As we stated in our testimony, Bain believes that the success of an operating model for an<br />
organization is a function of defining and implementing all elements of the model correctly:<br />
leadership, organization structure, accountabilities and decision processes, governance forums, core values/ways of working, capabilities, business processes, and IT systems. We raised this with SARS, but Bain’s contracted work on the operating model covered only one aspect, organizational structure, whilst SARS handled internally all other aspects of the process. This point must not be lost nor is the fact that the design principles for this structure was presented to and reviewed by SARS’s independent Advisory Board instituted by the Finance Minister.</p>
<p>In hindsight, as we reflect on our role at SARS there are a several places where we could have done better. We could have listened better. We could have pushed SARS harder to acknowledge and address the risks we raised. We could have been more aware of agendas that could have diverged from the mandate we were given. These are lessons we have already taken to heart.</p>
<p>These last few weeks have been difficult. There is a growing frustration within our firm that we did not recognize the possibility that we may have been used to further a political or personal agenda. We always go into our work presuming our clients have good intentions. We are now questioning these beliefs as it relates to SARS.</p>
<p>As a firm, we stand by the work we produced and the dedicated effort of our employees who wanted nothing more than to make SARS a better place. We will continue to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry to support a process aimed at restoring SARS to the once credible institution it was once known as.</p>


Improperly appointed boards spell disaster for organisations

Bain & Company to launch investigation into SARS consultancy

<p><span class="articleLocation">JOHANNESBURG</span> (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s Public Protector has launched a new investigation into allegations of influence-peddling and unlawful enrichment by certain officials within three state-owned firms after thousands of emails relating to alleged fraud were leaked.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p>
<p>The Public Protector&#8217;s office said in a statement on Wednesday it was investigating these allegations within Eskom, Transnet and The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).</p>
<p>Allegations of government corruption have escalated this month after local media began reporting on more than 100,000 leaked emails they say show inappropriate interference by the wealthy Gupta family and ministers in the issuing of lucrative tenders.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Public Protector South Africa, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has decided to conduct a preliminary investigation for the purpose of determining the merits of the several allegations published in the media,&#8221; the protector&#8217;s office said.</p>
<p>The latest allegations of influence-peddling are deepening a divide in the ANC as factions jostle for control before a conference in December where President Jacob Zuma&#8217;s successor as party leader will be chosen.</p>
<p>The investigation by the anti-corruption watchdog will focus on allegations of &#8220;improper or dishonest act&#8221; with respect to the public funds at Eskom, PRASA and Transnet and &#8220;unlawful enrichment&#8221; by certain public officials at the firms, it said.</p>
<p>The investigation will also look at the re-appointment of Brian Molefe as chief executive of Eskom, the state power company, amid graft allegations. He was reinstated last month, but ministers then reversed his reinstatement.</p>
<p>Molefe has denied wrongdoing and the Gupta family, who are friends of Zuma, and its companies have also denied all allegations of influence-peddling or improper dealings.</p>
<p>Most of the allegations form part of &#8220;The State Capture&#8221; report by the Public Protector, released last year on Nov. 2, focusing on allegations that businessmen brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta had influenced the appointment of ministers.</p>
<p>The report has been taken on judicial review by Zuma, mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Desmond van Rooyen, the public protector said.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p>
<p>(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Chris Reese and Leslie Adler)</p>


S.Africa’s Public Protector launches probe of influence-peddling in state-owned firms

<p>South Africa&#8217;s anti-graft watchdog will investigate the government&#8217;s providing of protection services to former African Union (AU) Commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, its spokesman said on Sunday.</p>
<p>Dlamini-Zuma, once married to President Jacob Zuma and seen as a front-runner to succeed him, in March concluded her five-year tenure as AU Commission chairwoman and has made several public appearances in South Africa since.</p>
<p>An investigation into Dlamini-Zuma, seen as Zuma&#8217;s preferred candidate by political analysts, is bad news for the scandal-plagued president who survived a no-confidence vote by his own party&#8217;s highest body last week.</p>
<p>The Democratic Alliance (DA), the largest opposition party, in April complained that Dlamini-Zuma is enjoying protection services afforded to visiting heads of state or elected representatives, while she holds no official position.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Dlamini-Zuma is a clear candidate in the ANC leadership succession race, and her use of VIP Presidential Protection as she campaigns is clearly another ANC abuse of public money,&#8221; the Democratic Alliance said in a statement on Sunday.</p></blockquote>
<p>The Public Protector&#8217;s spokeswoman, Cleopatra Mosana, said the anti-graft watchdog will investigate Dlamini-Zuma&#8217;s use of VIP protection services.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes it will,&#8221; she said, without elaborating.</p>
<p>The African National Congress&#8217; women&#8217;s league endorsed the party veteran and former minister as presidential candidate in January, though the ruling party has not officially given the go-ahead to campaign for an elective conference in December.</p>
<p>(Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by Angus MacSwan)</p>


South Africa’s anti-graft watchdog to probe Dlamini-Zuma’s protection detail

<p>Ken Dilanian, Peter Alexander and Courtney Kube</p>
<div class="embed-container image">
<div class="caption">White House senior advisor Jared Kushner (C) sits alongside U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (2nd L) as they prepare to meet with Saudi Arabia&#8217;s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Saudi delegation at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017.</div>
</div>
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<p><a href="http://www.cnbc.com/jared-kushner/" target="_self">Jared Kushner</a>, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/donald-trump/" target="_self">the president</a>&#8216;s son-in-law and one of his senior advisers, has come under FBI scrutiny in the Russia investigation, multiple U.S. officials told NBC News.</p>
<p>Investigators believe Kushner has significant information relevant to their inquiry, officials said. That does not mean they suspect him of a crime or intend to charge him.</p>
<p>The FBI&#8217;s scrutiny of Kushner places the bureau&#8217;s sprawling counterintelligence and criminal investigation not only on the doorstep of the White House, but on the cusp of the Trump family circle. The Washington Post first reported last week that <a class="inline_asset" title="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/19/a-white-house-official-close-to-trump-is-a-significant-person-of-interest-in-russia-probe-wapo.html" href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/19/a-white-house-official-close-to-trump-is-a-significant-person-of-interest-in-russia-probe-wapo.html" target="_self">a senior White House official close to Trump was a &#8220;person of interest,&#8221;</a> but did not name the person. The term &#8220;person of interest&#8221; has no legal meaning.</p>
<p><a class="inline_asset" title="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jared-kushner-now-under-fbi-scrutiny-russia-probe-say-officials-n764826" href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jared-kushner-now-under-fbi-scrutiny-russia-probe-say-officials-n764826" target="_self">Read the full NBC News report here.</a></p>
</div>


Jared Kushner Now Under FBI Scrutiny in Russia Probe, Say Officials: NBC

<p><span class="articleLocation">Felix Onuah and Alexis Akwagyiram | ABUJA</span></p>
<p>Nigeria&#8217;s President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered an investigation into corruption allegations against a senior civil servant related to the use of funds intended for handling a humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p>
<p>The director general of the National Intelligence Agency was also ordered to be suspended after the discovery of more than $43 million in an apartment complex in Lagos in what the presidency described as a &#8220;related development&#8221;.</p>
<p>Buhari suspended David Babachir Lawal, secretary to the Nigerian government, and ordered a probe into contracts awarded under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), his spokesman said in a statement.</p>
<p>Reuters was not immediately able to reach Lawal &#8211; a Buhari appointee &#8211; for comment. PINE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>PINE was set up to coordinate the government&#8217;s response to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast where 4.7 million people, many of them refugees from the Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram, are on the brink of famine and survive on rations.</p>
<p>Alleged corruption and mismanagement have threatened to intensify the situation, one of the world&#8217;s largest humanitarian crises, say critics of the government&#8217;s handling of the northeast.</p>
<p>Analysts warned for years the insurgency &#8211; which has killed more than 20,000 people and forced 2 million to flee their homes since 2009 &#8211; would spill over, but critics say authorities and some aid agencies were slow to address humanitarian issues.</p>
<blockquote><p>The presidency statement said it had also ordered an &#8220;investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies&#8221; by the financial crimes agency in a residential property in commercial capital Lagos, in what it called a &#8220;related development&#8221;, without giving further details.</p></blockquote>
<p>It said the National Intelligence Agency, Nigeria&#8217;s equivalent of the CIA, had said the money belonged to it. It said the investigation would inquire &#8220;whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds&#8221;.</p>
<p>The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said last week, on its official Facebook page, it had discovered $43.4 million, 27,800 pounds and 23.2 million naira in cash in the same Lagos apartment complex identified in the presidency statement.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p>
<p>The presidency statement said Buhari, who took office in May 2015 on promises to crack down on corruption, ordered the suspension of the director general of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation.</p>
<p>Reuters could not immediately reach Oke for comment. The NIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>A three-man committee, headed by the vice president, is to conduct both investigations and submit its report to the president within 14 days.</p>
<p>($1 = 305.0000 naira)</p>
<p>(Reporting by Felix Onuah and Alexis Akwagyiram; Additional reporting by Paul Carsten; Editing by Alison Williams)</p>


Nigeria’s Buhari orders corruption probe over humanitarian funds

<p>South Africa&#8217;s police minister will fight a court order to remove the head of an elite police investigation unit, popularly known as the Hawks, after the court ruled his appointment unlawful, media said on Monday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p>
<p>Berning Ntlemeza was appointed in 2015 to lead the powerful Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, but two domestic non-government bodies, Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation, applied to the High Court to have Ntlemeza removed on the grounds that he was unfit for the office.</p>
<p>Sandile Ngidi, a spokesman for Police Minister Nathi Nhleko, said Nhleko was appealing against Friday&#8217;s ruling, eNCA television reported. Ntlemeza will stay on while the appeal was processed, the report added.</p>
<p>Reuters could not immediately reach Ngidi for comment.</p>
<p>The integrity of the Hawks has been called into question by domestic media and NGOs, over the unit&#8217;s role in a graft case against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, which critics say was part of a political agenda.</p>
<p>Charges in that case were withdrawn last year.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)</p>


South Africa police minister to appeal court order against Hawks head

<p>South Africa&#8217;s Hawks elite police unit said on Monday it is not investigating Deputy Minister Mcebisi Jonas, but only making enquiries at this stage over allegations that he was part of a probe into allegations of corruption at state-owned South African Airways (SAA).</p>
<p>City Press newspaper reported on Sunday the Hawks is investigating allegations that Jonas used his political influence to secure U.S. aircraft company AAR Corp contracts to supply components and tyres to the state airline.</p>
<p>&#8220;For now that investigation is still at an enquiry level and once we pick up anything then a case docket will then be opened. There is not even a case docket,&#8221; Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi told Reuters.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by James Macharia)﻿</p>
<p> </p>


S.African police say not investigating deputy FinMin Jonas

<p>Anti-corruption investigators searched the home of South Africa&#8217;s acting police commissioner on Thursday after allegations that he took bribes to fund an 8 million rand ($600,000) mansion in an upmarket suburb of Pretoria.</p>
<p>Officers of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid)- a constitutional body tasked with monitoring the police &#8211; obtained a warrant to search the home of acting commissioner Khomotso Phahlane, local television station eNCA reported.</p>
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<p>It showed footage of about a dozen Ipid investigators entering the commissioner&#8217;s home to execute the warrant.</p>
<p>Phalane was not available to comment. A spokeswoman for the South African Police Service, Sally de Beer, said a statement would be released later on Thursday.</p>
<p>Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said police procedure prevented him from commenting on an ongoing investigation.</p>
<p>News agency EWN said investigators had a paper trail showing Phahlane accepted money in exchange for awarding police tenders to a forensic services company. Phahlane has previously denied allegations of corruption, and in November released an independent report he said cleared him of any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Phalane became acting commissioner after his predecessor Riah Phiyega was suspended by President Jacob Zuma in 2015 pending an inquiry into allegations of misconduct.</p>
<p>Phiyega in turn was appointed in 2012 after Zuma sacked her predecessor Bheki Cele over the irregular signing of a lease for a new police headquarters worth nearly $100 million.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


Corruption investigators search home of South Africa's top policeman

<p>South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has ordered an investigation into the tax collection authority, officials told parliament on Thursday, underlining rising tensions between the Treasury and the revenue agency.</p>
<p>Gordhan has expressed concerns at the leadership of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), saying earlier this week he could not vouch for the accuracy of the information it provided because of a lack of accountability and cooperation from its top management.</p>
<p>SARS said in a statement on Thursday it was concerned over the comments questioning the integrity of its leadership.</p>
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<p>News of the latest investigation adds to the impression of a system in turmoil after months of tension between President Jacob Zuma and the finance minister, who himself survived a separate probe into allegations of fraud while he was the head of SARS.</p>
<p>The tensions have unnerved investors at a time when Africa&#8217;s most industrialized economy is stalling, with growth forecast at 0.5 percent this year by the Treasury.</p>
<p>An 8-member team set up by the Treasury to investigate governance at SARS said in a presentation to parliament, seen by Reuters, that it was studying whether the agency was sufficiently accountable and had the capacity to deal with illicit financial flows.</p>
<p>It was unclear when the probe was initiated, but Business Day newspaper quoted the head of the committee, Dennis Davis, as saying it had been carrying out its work for several months.</p>
<p>Davis could not be reached for comment at the number provided on the committee&#8217;s website. SARS spokesman Sandile Memela and Treasury spokeswoman Yolisa Tantsi did not immediately reply to telephone and email requests for comment.</p>
<p>&#8220;The implication is that he has a lack of confidence in the top leadership at SARS,&#8221; political analyst Daniel Silke said, referring to Gordhan.</p>
<p>Gordhan and SARS commissioner Tom Moyane, who was appointed in 2014 by Zuma, were at loggerheads earlier this year when Moyane refused to halt an operational turnaround plan that had been vetoed by the minister.</p>
<p>At the time, media reported that Gordhan had threatened to resign from the cabinet unless Moyane was removed from his role.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


South Africa's FinMin Gordhan orders inquiry into tax agency

<div>
<p>PRETORIA (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s state prosecutor dropped fraud charges on Monday against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, executing a U-turn in a case that has rattled financial markets and drawn accusations of political meddling.</p>
<p>The rand currency raced to a near five-week high, rising 2.0 percent against the dollar, while bonds firmed as the head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Shaun Abrahams, announced his decision.</p>
<p>Investors have worried that Gordhan &#8211; who had brought some stability to South African markets since returning to the post during a currency crisis late last year &#8211; would be removed from his job if he was prosecuted.</p>
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<p>They also feared his departure would undermine efforts to revive economic growth, increasing the risk that South Africa&#8217;s credit rating would be reduced to &#8220;junk&#8221; status.</p>
<p>Abrahams said that after reviewing the case, he had decided that Gordhan did not have the intention to act unlawfully. &#8220;I foresaw great difficulty in proving &#8230; knowledge and intention to act unlawfully,&#8221; he told a media conference in Pretoria.</p>
<p>Gordhan, who is widely respected in financial markets, made no immediate comment but has previously described the accusations as frivolous and politically-motivated.</p>
<p>However, he is not out of the legal woods yet, and Abrahams said a separate investigation was continuing into Gordhan relating to events going back a decade.</p>
<p>Supporters of Gordhan and sympathetic financial analysts say all the charges could be a ploy by President Jacob Zuma and his allies to discredit a finance minister who stood in the way of their securing access to lucrative government contracts.</p>
<p>The president has denied that he is in conflict with Gordhan.</p>
<p>Gordhan had been due to face charges in court on Wednesday that he fraudulently approved early retirement for deputy tax commissioner Ivan Pillay and re-hired him as a consultant, costing the revenue service 1.1 million rand ($80,000).</p>
<p>Abrahams launched a review of the decision to pursue the case following a request to do so from Pillay and another former tax service employee Oupa Magashula, who was also charged with fraud alongside Gordhan.</p>
<p>However, Gordhan declined to join them in seeking a review, saying he doubted the &#8220;ability or willingness&#8221; of the NPA to give him a fair hearing.</p>
<p> UNNECESSARY SPECULATIONS</p>
<p>The charges drew fire from opposition political parties, civil society groups, big business and some senior members of the Zuma&#8217;s African National Congress (ANC).</p>
<p>Abrahams denied any political interference in the inquiry and on Monday rejected calls for him to resign over his change of heart.</p>
<p>Senior ANC party figures, including Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, have said the fraud charges should not be allowed to undermine Gordhan&#8217;s efforts to revitalise the economy.</p>
<p>Following Abrahams&#8217;s decision, the ANC said the NPA&#8217;s plan to charge Gordhan &#8220;had a negative impact on the economy and created unnecessary speculations about the real motive&#8221;.</p>
<p>The main opposition party Democratic Alliance said dropping the charges showed &#8220;these charges were indeed manufactured for malicious political purposes&#8221;, while the ultra-leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said Abrahams should be disbarred.</p>
<p>The EFF had planned to hold a rally in Pretoria on Wednesday to coincide with Gordhan&#8217;s court appearance.</p>
<p>Susan Booysen, a lecturer of politics at University of the Witwatersrand, said dropping the case against Gordhan &#8220;affirms that the charges were politically contrived&#8221;.</p>
<p>The Helen Suzman Foundation, which had filed a court application jointly with another civic group to have the charges set aside, said the case had damaged &#8220;our country, its financial standing and its international image&#8221;.</p>
<p> SURVEILLANCE UNIT</p>
<p>Abrahams confirmed that Gordhan is also still being investigated for his role in setting up a surveillance unit at the tax department a decade ago that is suspected of spying on politicians including Zuma.</p>
<p>Gordhan was first questioned about this in February by an elite police unit but in August ignored a police summons on the inquiry, saying he had done nothing wrong.</p>
<p>Previously finance minister from 2009 to 2014, Gordhan was recalled by Zuma to stem a selloff in South African assets in December. This followed Zuma&#8217;s replacement of finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with a little known politician, who lasted only a few days in the job.</p>
<p>Investors and credit rating agencies back Gordhan&#8217;s plans to rein in government spending in an economy that has been forecast by the central bank to grow only slightly this year.</p>
<p>A cut to &#8220;junk&#8221; status in ratings reviews due later this year could push up Pretoria&#8217;s borrowing costs, making it harder to plug the budget deficit.</p>
<p>Nicky Weimar, senior economist at Nedbank, said more needed to be done than simply dropping the charges. &#8220;It does takes us a little further away from a downgrade but the main concern remains that we are not implementing the structural reforms to achieve faster economic growth,&#8221; said Weimar.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Mfuneko Toyana in Johannesburg; Writing by James Macharia; editing by David Stamp)</p>
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<p class="copyright">© Thomson Reuters 2016 All rights reserved﻿</p>
<p> </p>


Fraud charges against S.A FinMin Gordhan dropped – state prosecutor

<p>Nigeria&#8217;s lower house of parliament will investigate a railway concession the government wants to grant to U.S. firm General Electric over possible procedural violations by Nigerian officials, lawmakers said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The government and the GE have confirmed talks on a railway concession deal worth around $2 billion but no details have yet emerged.</p>
<p>Nigeria has been looking for partners to overhaul its ageing railway system, which was mainly built by British colonial rulers before the country&#8217;s independence in 1960.</p>
<p>Yerima Ahmed, chairman of the Committee on Privatisation, which will probe the potential deal, said the government was not following proper procedures.</p>
<p>&#8220;The National Council on Privatisations has not been inaugurated,&#8221; he said, referring to a body he said should have been consulted under the law for such a sale.</p>
<p>The House of Representatives approved a motion by lawmaker Chukwuemeka Ujam to &#8220;investigate the engagement of General Electric of the United States of America in violation of the Public Enterprises Act&#8221;, lawmakers said.</p>
<p>The lawmakers did not make any allegations of wrongdoing against GE.</p>
<p>The government said earlier this month more talks were needed with GE on the possible concession.</p>
<p>The government, suffering from a slump in crude exports, wants to boost exports of food and other non-oil products but the country lacks roads or functioning railways.</p>
<p>But there is resistance in parliament against government plans to attract investors for Nigeria&#8217;s outdated refineries, railway system or other public assets to drum up badly needed hard currency and foreign expertise.</p>
<p>&#8220;They have illegally launched an attempt to take over our refineries, that was resisted,&#8221; said Sani Zorro, a lawmaker form the ruling All Progressives Congress, to which President Muhammadu Buhari belongs.</p>
<p>&#8220;They are now making attempts to take over our remaining public assets. We call them parasites,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The West African country has already signed two deals worth around $5 billion with China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC), part of China&#8217;s state-owned railway construction firm, to modernise and build railways in the north and south of the country, the Nigerian Transport Ministry has said.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


Nigerian lawmakers to probe possible railway concession for GE

<p>Jailed former Nigerian state governor James Ibori&#8217;s convictions remain valid despite evidence a British police officer took bribes during the investigation of his case, Britain&#8217;s state prosecution agency said on Thursday.</p>
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<p>Ibori, who as governor of oil-producing Delta State from 1999 to 2007 was one of Nigeria&#8217;s most powerful men, is serving a 13-year sentence in a British prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering.</p>
<p>He is the most senior Nigerian politician to have been held to account for the corruption that has blighted Africa&#8217;s most populous nation for decades, and his jailing was hailed as a high point in the international fight against graft.</p>
<p>But the case has become an embarrassment for Britain since one of Ibori&#8217;s associates, convicted money-launderer Bhadresh Gohil, alleged that the judicial process was tainted because prosecutors had covered up evidence of police corruption.</p>
<p>Authorities initially denied everything and charged Gohil with perverting the course of justice, but that prosecution was abruptly dropped in January.</p>
<p>In May, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had found &#8220;material to support the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for information&#8221;.</p>
<p>After an internal review of the case lasting months, the CPS said on Thursday that while the material &#8220;should have been disclosed to the defence&#8221;, that did not call into question the validity of the convictions of Ibori, Gohil and others.</p>
<p>Ibori&#8217;s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gohil&#8217;s lawyer said he could not comment for legal reasons.</p>
<p>Court proceedings on the confiscation of Ibori&#8217;s assets are still dragging through the courts, and lawyers for Ibori and Gohil could use the next court hearing to challenge the findings of the CPS review.</p>
<p>Ibori first came to the attention of British police in 1991, when he was working as a cashier at Wickes, a home improvements chainstore in London, and was caught stealing from the till.</p>
<p>After returning to Nigeria, he became involved in politics. As governor of Delta, he amassed a huge fortune and became a power-broker in the PDP party then ruling the country.</p>
<p>The charges to which Ibori pleaded guilty amounted to the theft of about $80 million. Prosecutors said that was only part of his total booty, which was kept hidden via a complex web of shell companies, offshore accounts and front men.</p>
<p>During his sentencing in 2012, the court heard that he had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle involving foreign properties and a fleet of luxury cars. At the time of his arrest, he had been trying to buy a $20 million private jet.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


UK says Nigerian's conviction stands despite bribery evidence

<p>South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has complied fully with a police investigation into him, his lawyers said on Thursday, in the latest round of a public row that has hit local markets.</p>
<p>Gordhan said last week he had done nothing wrong and had no legal obligation to obey a police summons linked to the probe into whether he used the unit at the tax service to spy on politicians including President Jacob Zuma.</p>
<p>Zuma has said he backs Gordhan but cannot stop the investigation. The ruling party also said it had confidence in Gordhan but urged him to cooperate with police investigations.</p>
<p>Gordhan&#8217;s lawyers, Gildenhuys Malatji Inc., said the finance minister has offered to help police with their inquiries.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Minister responded fully to all the Hawks&#8217; enquiries, offered to provide any further assistance they might require and scrupulously acted in accordance with the law,&#8221; Gordhan&#8217;s legal firm said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Hawks have not responded to his offer of further assistance.&#8221;</p>
<p>By 0932 GMT the rand was 0.43 percent firmer at 14.6700 against the dollar, but was still down more than 8 percent since Aug. 23 in response to news that the elite police unit Hawks had summoned Gordhan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by James Macharia)﻿</p>
<p> </p>


South Africa's Gordhan complied fully with police: lawyers

<p>South Africa&#8217;s main opposition party called on Thursday for a parliamentary debate into what it called a &#8220;witch-hunt&#8221; against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is under police investigation over a suspected spy unit at the tax service.</p>
<p>Gordhan said on Wednesday he had no legal obligation to obey a police summons linked to an investigation into whether he used the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to spy on politicians including President Jacob Zuma.</p>
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<p>News of Gordhan&#8217;s summons compounded investors&#8217; worries about a power struggle between Zuma and Gordhan as Africa&#8217;s most industrialised economy teeters near a recession and credit rating agencies consider downgrading it to &#8220;junk&#8221; by year-end.</p>
<p>The rand has weakened around 5 percent since the news of the police summons emerged on Tuesday.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have today submitted an urgent request to the Speaker of the National Assembly &#8230; on the Zuma-mandated witch-hunt against sitting Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan,&#8221; Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said in a statement.</p>
<p>Political activists protested outside the offices of the Hawks, the elite police unit that is investigating Gordhan, on Thursday in solidarity with the finance minister.</p>
<p>Analysts have said since February, when he was first asked questions by the Hawks about the unit he set up while at SARS, Gordhan has been a target of political pressure from a faction allied to Zuma.</p>
<p>Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi declined to comment.</p>
<p>The presidency said in May that Zuma was not warring with Gordhan. Zuma&#8217;s office has not commented on the latest developments.</p>
<p>A former finance minister, Trevor Manuel, said on Wednesday the economy would be &#8220;destroyed&#8221; if Zuma fired Gordhan, after he changed finance ministers twice in one week in December.</p>
<p>Investors and rating agencies back Gordhan&#8217;s plans to rein in government spending in an economy that has been forecast by the central bank to grow at zero percent this year.</p>
<p>A Zuma-backed plan to build a fleet of nuclear power plants, at a cost of as much as $60 billion, has been a cause of tension with the Treasury for months and is likely adding to pressure on Gordhan&#8217;s position, analysts say.﻿</p>


S.African opposition calls for parliamentary debate on FinMin "witch-hunt"

<p>South African President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday he has full confidence in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is under police investigation over a suspected spy unit at the tax service.</p>
<p>Zuma said he could not intervene in the investigations despite the negative impact the probe has caused on the economy, according to a statement released by the presidency.</p>
<p>The rand, which had tumbled 5 percent since Tuesday in response to the investigation, extended gains to 1.3 percent after Zuma&#8217;s statement after starting a recovery on Thursday.</p>
<p>News of Gordhan&#8217;s summons this week compounded investors&#8217; worries about a power struggle between Zuma and Gordhan as Africa&#8217;s most industrialised economy teeters near recession and credit rating agencies consider downgrading it to &#8220;junk&#8221; by year-end.</p>
<p>In his first public comments on the matter since it surfaced late on Tuesday, Zuma said he had noted the concerns by individuals and various organisations over the investigation.</p>
<p>&#8220;President Jacob Zuma wishes to express his full support and confidence in the Minister of Finance and emphasises the fact that the minister has not been found guilty of any wrong doing,&#8221; the presidency said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Presidency wishes to also emphasise that President Zuma does not have powers to stop any investigations into any individual/s.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The negative effect of these matters on our economy, personal pressure on the individuals affected as well as the heads of institutions, however disturbing, cannot be cause for the President to intervene unconstitutionally.&#8221;</p>
<p>Gordhan said on Wednesday he had no legal obligation to obey a police summons linked to an investigation into whether he used the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to spy on politicians including Zuma.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Dominic Evans)﻿</p>
<p> </p>


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investigation

China’s donation of equipment to this East African country’s parliament goes missing

South Africa’s finance minister to be investigated by country’s anti-graft body, what you need to know

Bain & Company to launch investigation into SARS consultancy

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South Africa's FinMin Gordhan orders inquiry into tax agency

Fraud charges against S.A FinMin Gordhan dropped – state prosecutor

Nigerian lawmakers to probe possible railway concession for GE

UK says Nigerian's conviction stands despite bribery evidence

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S.African opposition calls for parliamentary debate on FinMin "witch-hunt"

Zuma says has confidence in S.Africa finance minister, can't intervene

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